Scootalove
by Flutterdaisy
Summary: Scootaloo has never been one for romance. She's always been a tomboy, riding on her scooter and going out Crusading. But when three new colts come into her life, she starts feeling affection for one of them. But what happens when somepony else wants the same colt, somepony she's never liked in the first place? What if things change, for good?
1. Chapter 1: First Sight

**Hi, this is my first fanfiction, so please go easy on it. I do not own anything, just my own story and OCs. Read and Review, please! :3**

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Chapter 1: First Sight

Apple Bloom stood on a short stool, carefully cracking a raw egg, letting the yolk seep into a purple bowl on the counter. Other egg yolks were littered all over the once-clean Sugar Cube Corner floor. "Yes! Finally!" she exclaimed happily, raising up her hooves in triumph but because of this, she slipped and fell on the dirty floor. "Ow!"

"Great job, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle complimented, grinning and offering a hoof to help her friend up. Apple Bloom accepted her help gratefully, beaming.

"Great, now let me try!" Scootaloo said. She grabbed an egg with her teeth, making her way towards the bowl. She paid no attention to the yolk-littered floor; her eyes were completely focused on the bowl, so it wasn't a big surprise that she slipped on some egg yolk in front of her. "Whoa!" She toppled backwards, losing her grip on the egg. The egg slipped out of her teeth and knocked into the purple bowl, flying up into the air, splattering egg yolk everywhere. It fell on the yolk-splattered floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. Finally, an egg landed on Scootaloo's head, cracking and spilling the yolk on her head.

Scootaloo groaned.

"Looks like we're not getting our cutie marks in cooking, either..." Sweetie Belle said sadly, absently kicking egg yolk across the floor.

The fillies got up and splashed the watery yolk off their coats. "Ugh..." Scootaloo trotted to the sink to wash her egg-splattered mane.

"I know what we're sure to get our cutie marks in, though!" cried Apple Bloom excitedly and abruptly, raising a hoof.

Scootaloo walked back to her friends, shaking her soaked mane and splashing water all over them, causing them to yelp. "Well, then tell us!" she demanded with a hint of anger in her tone.

"Cutie Mark Crusader fishin'!" she announced, grinning at the two of them.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exchanged bewildered looks. "_Fishing?!_" they both exclaimed at once. Apple Bloom just eagerly nodded.

"We can go to the river tomorrow and see what we can catch," she said happily.

"Well, I guess it's worth a try..." Scootaloo muttered. "Nothing else worked."

"It's bound to work!" Apple Bloom said enthusiastically.

"In that case, how about we go right now?" Scootaloo suggested, beginning to lighten up.

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle swiftly agreed.

"Sure! Let's go get some supplies and go!" Apple Bloom eagerly answered. The three fillies trotted out of the Sugar Cube Corner kitchen, right when Pinkie Pie came in.

"Hey guys, what was up with all the noi-" The pink pony froze and stared at the chaotic kitchen in shock. Her usually cheerful voice was replaced by a glum one. "Oh no..." She sighed, grabbed some cleaning supplies, and began to clean up, pouting slightly.

* * *

"_Yay! Cutie Mark Crusader Fishing!_"

The three determined little fillies ran up to the river with fishing supplies. Scootaloo baited her fishing hook, then she grabbed her rod and threw the line in the rushing water. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle mimicked her, laughing.

"I wonder what we'll catch," Sweetie Belle commented, glancing around. The weather was especially nice today, perfect weather for fishing.

"I bet I'll catch a fish bigger than you guys!" Scootaloo challenged, twisting her head to gaze at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"No! I will!" Sweetie Belle protested playfully.

"Y'all are on!" Apple Bloom replied, smiling.

The three friends shared a laugh. Scootaloo turned and suddenly saw three other young colts fishing as well. She stared curiously, studying the three of them. One was light brown, with a chocolate-colored mane and brown eyes. He didn't have any wings or horn, so he was obviously an Earth pony. Another one was a light blue unicorn, with spiky dark blue hair. His eyes were a dark indigo, and seemed especially serious. The last one was a white pegasus, with a spiky black mane and deep blue eyes.

Unlike the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they all had their cutie marks. They were too faraway to tell what the cutie marks were, though. And for some reason, Scootaloo couldn't take her eyes off the white pegasus.

Scootaloo soon found herself staring at him. The pegasus colt glanced at her, and she turned away, her cheeks burning red.

"Look, Scootaloo! Ya got a bite!" said Apple Bloom, pointing her hoof to her fishing rod.

Scootaloo planted her hooves on her fishing rod and felt a strong tug. She tried to reel in her rod, but the fish was too powerful. It began pulling her in the flowing river. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle saw this and quickly dropped their own fishing rods to help their friend. The two fillies pulled on her tail to keep her from falling, but the fish suddenly let go and they dropped into the river with a large splash, ruining their manes and coats.

Scootaloo blushed again when she saw that the other group of fishing buddies were looking at them, grinning and nudging each other, saying things that she couldn't make out. The three fillies scrambled back to shore and shook their soaking wet coats and manes. "Aw man," Apple Bloom complained gloomily, poking at some pebbles. "I really thought we'd get our cutie marks in fishin'."

"I guess we should go home now," Scootaloo said. "Err - we'll meet again after school?" The other Crusaders bobbed their heads in agreement and walked off. Scootaloo took one last look at the place where the young colts were, but they seemed to have left, too. The orange pegasus trudged back home.

On the way, she kept thinking about the white colt she saw at the river. _What was it about him that made him so...unique?_


	2. Chapter 2: The New Students

**Well, hello again. Sorry, this chapter's really short. Tell you what, I'll make up for it by making an extra long chapter next. I'm going to try to do some review replies now.**

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**Guest: Thank you.**

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**Let's start this chapter!**

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Chapter 2: The New Students

The next sunny morning, every filly and colt had arrived at the schoolhouse. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle arrived and trotted to their seats, sitting, just in time, too. Miss Cheerilee walked inside the room, beaming at her students. "Please settle down, My Little Ponies. We have three new students arriving."

A loud talk filled the room as everypony began whispering excitedly to their neighbor, obviously not paying attention to Cheerilee's order.

"Ooh, I wonder who they'll be!"

"I hope they'll be _cute_!"

"Yeah!"

"I hope they like skateboarding!"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, however, sat back in their chairs with a bored look on her faces. "Like, great, just what we need, some more useless dorks filling up this school," Diamond Tiara said, pretending to yawn.

"Yeah," Silver Spoon agreed with her right away, encouraging her stuck-up friend.

Scootaloo glanced at the stuck-up fillies and growled under her breath, frustrated by the ponies' snootiness. She planted her hooves on her desk and thought. _Hmm...__t__hree new students? Wait, that sounds familiar...three...three..._

The pegasus' eyes widened and she gasped loudly, but covered her mouth with her hoof. She looked around, wondering if anyone heard her outburst. Luckily, no one did seem to; they were all too busy talking about who the three new ponies could be. Scootaloo took one last glance around before slowly putting her hooves back on her desk.

_No...it couldn't be those three colts. And if they are...who cares? They're just three colts I saw before at the river. Don't be so stupid, Scootaloo._

Scootaloo sighed softly and tried to released all her worries. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she was still thinking about the boys, especially the white colt with the black mane. She tapped her hoof against the desk impatiently, yawning loudly.

Miss Cheerilee kept looking at the doorway, but the three new students weren't there yet. "I guess they'll be arriving a bit late," she told the class, who were still talking among themselves. "Let's wait a little longer. I'm sure they'll be here any minute."

Scootaloo tapped her hoof more rapidly and loud. She could see her fellow Crusaders doing the same, clearly sharing her impatience. Suddenly, three large, looming shadowy figures appeared at the exposed doorway. They were looming closer, their shadows becoming larger and larger. Scootaloo could make out three colts. Everypony stared at the open doorway curiously...except for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who still had those snooty looks on their faces. The three ponies were lumbering closer, until...

Scootaloo could see the exact same colts she had seen at the river.


	3. Chapter 3: Day With Rainbow Dash

**Well, here's Chapter 3! I'm sorry it took so long to update. Please read and review! :)**

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Chapter 3: Day With Rainbow Dash

Every student in the class stared at the new colts. Most of them were excited, while others were just curious or shocked. Diamond Tiara started whispering to Silver Spoon. From her tone, she seemed...excited...? When Scootaloo caught a piece of what she said, she almost fainted.

"_Hey, they're kind of cute! Especially the white one."_

Miss Cheerilee smiled cheerfully at the three colts. "Hello and welcome to your new class! State your names, please."

"I'm Dark Chocolate," the brown colt said.

"I am Indigo," replied the blue unicorn.

"White Wind," said the black-maned, white pegasus coolly.

"Everypony may welcome them to our class," Cheerilee told the class.

"Hey! Y'all got your cutie marks!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, pointing her hoof to the colts' flanks.

Scootaloo took a good look at the colts' cutie marks. Dark Chocolate's cutie mark was a chocolate bar. Indigo's mark was a dark, portal-like aura. White Wind's cutie mark was a light blue windy breeze. Scootaloo felt a bit of embarrassment burn inside her when she saw their cutie marks.

"Hey, good, they're not _blank flanks_," Diamond Tiara commented rudely. Silver Spoon laughed.

Scootaloo glared at the two snobby fillies, then turned to look back at the colts.

"Dark Chocolate, you may have this desk - " Miss Cheerilee put her hoof on a desk next to Scootaloo. Dark Chocolate looked pleased. "Indigo, you may have the one next to that, and White Wind, that one is free." She motioned towards the seat between Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. The three new students took their seats, looking comfortable.

Diamond Tiara leaned towards White Wind. Scootaloo watched as she whispered, "_Stick with me._" White Wind gave her a look of confusion and turned back to Miss Cheerilee.

"All right," she said. "Let's begin."

* * *

Scootaloo stepped out of the schoolhouse to find her friends waiting for her. "So, what should we do today?" she asked, glad to take her mind off White Wind. Her eyes were always glancing towards the white colt, even when she tried to get her mind off him.

"I was thinking we could get cutie marks..." Apple Bloom began, but Scootaloo was distracted. White Wind passed by, smiling at her. She blushed, but forced herself to turn back to her friends.

"Great idea, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically.

"What?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes widening a little. "I, uh, wasn't listening."

"I _said_," Apple Bloom repeated with a hint of annoyance, "we could get our cutie marks in babysittin'!

Scootaloo answered, "But I want a cool cutie mark! Not..._babysitting._"

Diamond Tiara passed by, smirking. "_Puh-lease_. A babysitting cutie mark? Like, you guys are babies yourselves."

"Yeah, even if you _did _try it, they'd probably cry once they saw you!" Silver Spoon added, laughing at her own terrible joke.

The two stuck-up fillies laughed harshly and walked away.

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all rolled their eyes at their snootiness.

"Anyway, if you want an uncool cutie mark, fine. I'm going to go to Rainbow Dash and see if there's anything she wants me to do!" Scootaloo finished.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nodded. "See you later, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said, walking away.

Scootaloo took one last glance at her friends and trotted away to find her idol.

* * *

Scootaloo searched all around Ponyville until she found Rainbow Dash napping on a cozy cloud. "Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cried, clearly excited to see her idol.

"Wha - sis - huh?!"

Rainbow Dash shot up from her napping cloud, startled. She looked around, then spotted Scootaloo and calmed down when she saw Scootaloo grinning at her.

"Oh, hey Scootaloo! I wasn't scared, I was just pretending!" Rainbow Dash replied, nervously chuckling to regain her coolness.

Scootaloo didn't seem to mind. "Rainbow Dash, I was wondering if there was anything you wanted me to do!" she said, fluttering her wings in excitement.

"Oh, yeah?" Dash teased. She flew down to ruffle Scootaloo's hair.

"Well, I don't really need any help today. But maybe you could watch me do my latest flying trick. It's called 'The Hurricane Dash.'"

"Wow! That sounds awesome! Just like you, Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed, beaming.

Rainbow Dash flew down and landed on the ground, folding her wings. "Well, I _am_ awesome, don't ya think?" she bragged.

"The most awesome, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said, encouraging Rainbow Dash and grinning brightly.

"So Scootaloo, want to come with me now?" Rainbow asked, puffing out her chest proudly.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo answered with enthusiasm. Rainbow flew off to some unknown place while Scootaloo followed.

* * *

"Hey Scootaloo, where are your friends?" Rainbow Dash suddenly asked while flying.

"Oh, they're trying to find their cutie marks in _babysitting_," Scootaloo said, scrunching up her face in disgust when she said "babysitting."

"Well, it looks like they don't want an _awesome _cutie mark if they want to get it in babysitting," Rainbow Dash said, chuckling.

"Yeah! That's what I said! That's why I wanted to find you," Scootaloo told her.

"Smart move," Rainbow replied, still smiling.

Rainbow Dash suddenly skidded to a stop, which caused Scootaloo to skid to a stop too. Unfortunately, she skidded into a bale of hay as well.

"Whoa!"

Scootaloo poked her head out from a pile of hay. Rainbow was obviously trying to keep from laughing out loud. Scootaloo pulled herself out from the hay and shook her mane, which had bits of hay in it. She blinked and saw that they were near Sweet Apple Acres.

"Heh, nice job Squirt," Rainbow Dash commented. "Now, you want to see my amazingly awesome new trick?"

"Of course, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo answered eagerly, her eyes huge.

"Awesome," Rainbow said. "And if you want, you could fly really high up so you could get a better view-oh, right. I forgot that you couldn't fly, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo expression changed to a embarrassed and disappointed one. Rainbow Dash probably thought she didn't deserve to hang out with her anymore. She bit her lip and happened to turn her head at that moment, and saw that White Wind from class again!

_Ugh, why does he always pop up at the worst times?_ she thought angrily.

She panicked when she saw White Wind looking in her direction. Scootaloo turned and looked up at Rainbow with determination. "I can fly," she stated boldly.

Dash narrowed her eyes skeptically but nodded anyway. "Okay. Then try it now."

Scootaloo gulped.

Scootaloo licked her lips and started fluttering her wings as fast as she could. She felt her hooves leave the ground, and she began hovering in the air. "I did it!"

"Now try flying higher," Rainbow said, waving her hoof and looking bored.

Scootaloo flapped her wings even harder. She imagined herself flying a hundred feet off the ground, Rainbow Dash's face full of awe and shock, and her puffing her chest out proudly.

"Scootaloo!"

Rainbow Dash's voice made her snap back to reality. She looked down and saw that she was only a few inches off the ground. Scootaloo began feeling tired. She stopped flapping her wings and fell to the ground. She landed face-down in the dirt.

Rainbow started laughing. She fell back in laughter, pounding her hoof in the dirt. Scootaloo got up and sighed. She looked back at White Wind, and he was grinning, too. Scootaloo felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and sadness as well. She brushed the dust off her orange coat and looked at the ground, depressed. Rainbow Dash stopped laughing and put a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry Scootaloo, you'll get better. You know, I was the same when I started flying."

Scootaloo looked up. "Really?"

Rainbow hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck nervously with a blue hoof, then replied,"Er, no. But hey, at least you actually...got off the ground?"

Scootaloo just looked at her sadly. She pushed herself away from Rainbow, away from everypony, and began trotting to somewhere, anywhere but near there. She soon found herself running, swerving away from other ponies and objects. Everypony was yelling at her, but she didn't care. She finally stopped, panting heavily. She looked up and saw Fluttershy's cottage. _I went this far?_ she thought to herself. She decided to go in any way. She was out of breath.

Scootaloo raised a hoof and knocked on Fluttershy's cottage door.

"Coming!" a muffled voice inside said.

A light yellow pony with a light pink mane and innocent bright teal eyes appeared at the door. It was none other than Fluttershy. "Oh, hello Scootaloo," she said, looking surprised to see her. "May I help you?"

"Hi Fluttershy. Um, I was just wondering if I could stay for a while. I, uh, need to unwind a bit," Scootaloo stammered.

"Oh! Of course. And you do look very tired. Poor you! I'll get you some pillows and-" Fluttershy began, but Scootaloo interrupted Fluttershy.

"It's fine. I just need to stay awhile."

Fluttershy nodded and let Scootaloo inside. She shut the door, then looked at Scootaloo. "Do you want a drink, at least?" she asked gently in a motherly tone.

Scootaloo weakly nodded. She climbed on the couch in the living room and sat down. Fluttershy disappeared from sight, to the kitchen most likely. She sighed and thought, _Why did I even come here? I wouldn't ever ditch Rainbow Dash, even if she was laughing at me...What made me do it?_

Scootaloo was so deep in thought, she flinched when she heard Fluttershy say, "Scootaloo, here's your drink."

Scootaloo tried to hide her shock, but Fluttershy had already seen Scootaloo's startled expression. "Oh! Did I startle you? I'm very sorry, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo looked up at Fluttershy with her light grayish-purple eyes. "It's okay, Fluttershy. I wasn't scared anyway," she muttered.

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy's eyes were filled with concern.

Scootaloo's glare answered her question. "Oh, well, okay. Keep out of trouble, Scootaloo." Fluttershy gave her the plastic cup of juice she was holding and trotted away, her pink tail trailing behind her.

Scootaloo sighed again, when Fluttershy was out of sight. Then Angel, Fluttershy's pet bunny entered into the room. He stared at Scootaloo, his ears twitching.

"Hey Angel," Scootaloo said blankly. "Do _you_ know why I did it?" Angel blinked and simply hopped away. Scootaloo groaned. Her mind swam with questions, but she forced them all away as she sipped on her juice.

"Maybe I just need to take a nap..." Scootaloo finished her drink and placed the empty cup on a table and lay down on the couch. She closed her eyes and fell asleep...


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams and Board Games

**Hello. Here is Chapter 4!**

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**Crimson Banner: Well, yeah. But you know Dash.**

**As Pinkie Pie would say: "Okie dokie lokie, let's start this chapter!"**

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Chapter 4: Dreams and Board Games**  
**

_Scootaloo was stuck in a dark, dark room. She glanced around, sweating like crazy. She could make out a few chairs and a small desk. __"Where am I?" she wondered out loud._

_"In the Tiara Prison, of course."_

_Scootaloo jumped, but then put her hoof to her chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. "Wait...I know that voice...Diamond Tiara?!"_

_A cackle echoed around the room. "Of course, who would you think it would be?"_

_Scootaloo changed her thoughtful look to an aggressive one. "What do you want, Diamond Tiara?!" she growled, baring her teeth._

_"Well, it's obvious, really. We're both after the same colt."_

_Scootaloo narrowed her eyes. "What are you playing at?"_

_Another laugh sounded about the room. "Really, you don't even know your own crush?_

_"Crush?" Scootaloo gasped._

_"Of course. But I wouldn't let you get him."_

_Scootaloo sat down, her rear touching the cold, black floor. "What do you mean, 'but I wouldn't let you get him?'" she asked._

_"Well, that's what you have to figure out for yourself, loser."_

_"Huh? But I don't get it!" Scootaloo cried._

_"Too bad..." Diamond Tiara's voice echoed around the prison._

_"Wait!" Scootaloo tried to call out. But the room was fading...and all Scootaloo could see was the darkness._ _Somewhere in the distance, she could also hear somepony chanting her name..._

* * *

"Scootaloo...Scootaloo..."

Scootaloo woke up, her eyes wide with fear. "Huh?" she cried, jumping up on the couch.

Fluttershy, who was tapping her gently with her hoof, jumped back in surprise. She smiled when she saw Scootaloo awake on her couch. "You were talking in your sleep," Fluttershy told her.

"Oh..." Scootaloo said. She silently sighed.

"You were talking about some Diamond Tiara," Fluttershy added. "What was that all about?"

Scootaloo widened her eyes again and gazed down at the floor. "It's nothing," she said softly.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth. "Oh, is it personal? I'm so sorry, Scootaloo! I guess I let my curiosity get the best of me. I understand if you don't want to tell me."

Scootaloo weakly smiled at Fluttershy. If there was one pony she could tell her secrets to, it would definitely be Fluttershy above any pony, even Rainbow Dash. But she didn't want to say anything right now.

"It's fine, Fluttershy," Scootaloo said, not wanting her to become concerned about nothing. She suddenly got an idea. "Say, Fluttershy, do you think I could spend the night here in your cottage?" she asked.

"Of course!" Fluttershy happily agreed. "I'll get you a pillow and a blanket." Fluttershy trotted off to retrieve the sleeping supplies.

Scootaloo looked around the cozy cottage, but for once it didn't seem cozy to her. Something in the back of her mind lurked, something that made her feel sick. Scootaloo gazed up at a clock. It was 6:30 in the afternoon. The dream felt so long ago. Scootaloo tapped her hoof against the couch. She felt that she would just die of boredom. But she didn't really want to leave the house either.

Fluttershy came back with a pillow and folded blanket on her head. Scootaloo took them, feeling their warmth and softness. She figured they must have just been washed. Fluttershy turned to leave, but suddenly looked back. "Do you need anything else?" Fluttershy questioned in a sweet tone.

Scootaloo shook her head.

"Okay," Fluttershy answered. "I'll bring you dinner at 7. You can go out if you want, too. Just don't go into the forest."

"I won't," Scootaloo promised. But in the back of her mind, she thought it'd be interesting to go into the Everfree Forest again. Her last time might have been bad, but it might be nice this time.

Scootaloo shook her head. What was she thinking? The Everfree Forest was super-dangerous, with predators at every corner. She couldn't go in there.

Scootaloo yawned. "I'm so bored," she said out loud. She began to regret coming here in the first place. She thought about what happened before. So what if Rainbow Dash, her idol, was laughing at her? She could have taken that, if it meant she could spend time with her afterwards. "But it already happened," she blurted out. Scootaloo covered her mouth with her orange hoof, hoping Fluttershy didn't hear her.

Scootaloo stepped off the couch and walked towards the cottage door. She opened it and stepped outside. The wind was blowing hard against her purple-colored mane. A brown bunny hopped past Scootaloo, escaping to the safety of its home. Scootaloo looked up at the darkening sky. Dark rain clouds were rolling in. A flash of lightning and a roll of thunder made Scootaloo jump. Fluttershy somehow miraculously appeared at Scootaloo's side.

"Oh dear. I wasn't expecting rain today. You'll have to stay inside, Scootaloo. I'm sorry," Fluttershy told her.

Scootaloo groaned and went back inside. She sat down, right in the middle of the living room. Fluttershy shut the door and looked at Scootaloo, feeling sorry for the young filly.

"Hey, how about if we play a game?" Fluttershy suddenly asked to brighten the mood.

"Eh..." Scootaloo shrugged. She wasn't really in the mood for a game, but she'd do anything to pass the time _somehow._

Fluttershy let out one of her adorable squees. "Alright! Come on, I have an old board game in my closet. It's called '_Scrabble_.'"

Scootaloo followed Fluttershy to her closet. Fluttershy rummaged around a little until she found the old board game.

After that, she set it up in the living room, read the rules out loud, and they began playing. Scootaloo sighed under her breath. _This is gonna be a long night, _she thought as another boom of thunder sounded outside.


	5. Chapter 5: Chocolate Horror

**I am _so_ sorry for the long wait. School just started, and...well, you know. Oh, and if you like Harry Potter, please check out my friend Hermione Sparkle's fanfiction, "The Next Generation."**

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Chapter 5: Chocolate Horror

Scootaloo woke up on Fluttershy's couch. At first she didn't recognize the place, but then she remembered that she had fallen asleep during the game of Scrabble. Fluttershy must have set her on the couch. Scootaloo groaned and pushed herself up on the couch. Fluttershy came in with a tray containing bowl of steaming bowl of soup and a daisy and daffodil sandwich. "Oh good, you're awake," she said, smiling softly. She placed the tray on the desk next to the couch. Scootaloo wasted no time and dug into the meal.

"Careful now, Scootaloo. Eating too fast isn't good for you," Fluttershy warned. Scootaloo ignored her and kept munching at the same speed.

She slurped the warm soup and licked her lips. "That was excellent, Fluttershy!" Scootaloo complimented.

"Oh...thank you," Fluttershy smiled modestly. She looked around and glanced up at the clock. "Oh dear, it's already eight o' clock. Scootaloo, you should be getting to school by now!"

"Huh? Oh right, thanks Fluttershy!" Scootaloo sprang out of the couch and headed straight out the door. She raced as fast as she could, huffing and puffing along the way.

She got there right on time, leaping into her seat and planting her hooves on the desk, breathing heavily. She noticed that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked exhausted, too. Scootaloo leaned over and whispered, "How did the babysitting go?"

"Terrible," Sweetie Belle answered. "The Cakes needed babysitting, and Pinkie was out-of-town, so we volunteered. They were reluctant at first, but finally agreed. It went so bad...we couldn't get the two babies to even sit!"

"When they came back, the shop was a mess," Apple Bloom added. She pointed at her flank, which was blank as usual. "And we didn't get our cutie marks."

Sweetie Belle gazed at Scootaloo. "How did the day with Rainbow Dash go?"

"Oh, err..." Scootaloo rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof, fidgeting slightly. "It was great, and Rainbow actually showed me a few moves," she lied.

"That's good," Sweetie Belle whispered. The friends turned back to their teacher. Suddenly, Scootaloo felt a pair of eyes burning into her. She turned and saw Dark Chocolate staring at her. But as soon as Scootaloo turned, he quickly whipped back to Cheerilee. Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, suspicious, and gradually turned back to her teacher as well.

"Okay class, we are going on a field trip today," she announced.

Most of the class cheered, including the three new colts. Scootaloo noticed that Dark Chocolate's face brightened up right away. "Where are we going?" Sweetie Belle called out.

"To Finest Chocolate's Shop," Miss Cheerilee answered. "It's owned by Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate's parents."

Dark Chocolate grinned when the class turned to gaze at him.

"Will we be able to sample some chocolate?" Twist called out.

"Maybe, if the Chocolate's are generous enough. But remember, you may not touch without permission," Miss Cheerilee said. "Now My Little Ponies, we shall be going now. Line up behind me."

The class instantly obeyed and rushed to line up behind their teacher. Scootaloo lined up in the back, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in front of her. Scootaloo decided not to whisper to her classmates today like she usually would; she wasn't in the mood.

Scootaloo trotted after the class, her hooves thumping loudly against the ground. Her eyes seemed to be containing worry, even though she was going to a sweet shop. Scootaloo shook her head and instead tried to smile at the thought of the field trip she was going on.

* * *

They soon arrived at Finest Chocolate's Shop, and Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate greeted them politely. Scootaloo gazed at the shop in awe. She had never heard of this place, so it must have just opened up. The inside of the shop was magnificent. The floor was painted in beautiful pink and white stripes and the walls were a delicate chocolate-brown. Mouth-watering chocolate sweets were stacked on the bright yellow shelves and there was a pretty glass case filled with delectable chocolates. Scootaloo's mouth watered just at the sight of the shop.

Scootaloo wandered from the class to look inside the chocolate-filled case. There were all sorts of assorted chocolate goods inside. The smell drifted out of the container and met her nostrils. Scootaloo took a deep breath, grinning.

"Scootaloo!"

Cheerilee's voice made Scootaloo whip around and smile nervously. She walked over to Scootaloo while Scootaloo's classmates watched the scene. "Scootaloo, you must stay with the class," Cheerilee said sternly. "You're a big filly now, and you should do what is expected of you. I was just saying something to the class." Scootaloo's ears flattened as her teacher continued.

"Now go back to your classmates and listen carefully," Miss Cheerilee finished.

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee. I'm sorry," Scootaloo stated her apology, staring down at the polished pink and white floor. She trudged back to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Her ears were flattened against her skull as her teacher smiled once again.

"Now class, how about we let the Chocolate's talk?" Cheerilee suggested, waving her hoof to the Chocolate's standing by the counter.

Scootaloo's classmates nodded impatiently. Cheerilee stepped aside and the Chocolate's walked to the front of the class.

Scootaloo examined them carefully. Milk Chocolate had a smooth pale yellow coat with a large chocolate cake for a cutie mark, and a long mint-green mane and tail. Her blue eyes sparkled with cheerfulness. White Chocolate was a pure white color, with a cup of chocolate pudding for his cutie mark. He sported a spiky gray mane and daring green eyes.

"Hello," Milk Chocolate said in a cheery voice. "We're the Chocolate's, and we own the Finest Chocolate's Shop, the best place in Ponyville where you can get a chocolate treat! Not to brag, of course."

"We have all sorts of chocolates in this shop. Now, I know all you students don't want to hear this little lecture and just want to go off and sample some chocolates," White Chocolate said, clearly understanding the class's impatience. "So we will let each student sample some chocolate from our store! Just don't break anything."

The students all separated into little groups. Scootaloo was about to trot off to her friends when Dark Chocolate came up to her nervously.

"Um, hey Scootaloo. I was wondering if you wanted to sample some chocolates together...?" Dark Chocolate fidgeted around a bit.

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, meeting Dark Chocolate's nervous brown eyes.

"Sorry Dark Chocolate, but...I gotta meet with my other friends! See ya!" Scootaloo trotted away, glancing over her shoulder to see a disappointed Dark Chocolate. Her eyes softened a bit, feeling some sympathy for the brown colt. She bounded over to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who were chattering noisily. Scootaloo lowered her head, listening to her friends' eager conversation.

Sweetie Belle craned her neck to stare at Scootaloo. "Hey Scootaloo. What's up? You're not usually this quiet!" she said.

"Ah - it's nothing...come on, let's go sample some chocolates!" Scootaloo responded, trying to gain some of her enthusiasm back.

"Okay!" Sweetie Belle replied, obviously satisfied.

"Girls, look!" The girls halted and Apple Bloom pointed her hoof to a shelf of delicious-looking chocolate treats. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gazed at the display, licking their lips longingly. "I sure would like to sample that."

"Come on!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, trotting towards the tasty chocolates. She sniffed the sweet aroma and waved her hoof indicating for her friends to come join her. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo followed Sweetie Belle, breathing in the delicious scent as well.

"Ahhh! It smells just as good as apple pie!" Apple Bloom commented.

"Yeah! Don't you think so, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle said, turning her head to stare at Scootaloo once more.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Scootaloo exclaimed, trying to look excited and curious. But to be honest, she was neither. When Sweetie Belle smiled and turned to gaze at the row of chocolates again, Scootaloo put on a dull, uninterested look.

Apple Bloom leaned forward and stretched out her hoof to take three chocolates. She didn't notice a candy wrapper on the floor that some careless pony had littered. She leaned even closer and took the chocolates in her hoof. "Got it!"

Right at that moment, she slipped on the candy wrapper and fell, the chocolate candy flying into the air. "Watch out!" Sweetie Belle cried, ducking.

Scootaloo widened her eyes and prepared to duck, but it was too late. The gooey chocolate landed on her head. Scootaloo blinked her eyes open, her eyes rimmed with chocolate.

For a moment, everyone was awkwardly silent. Then everyone burst into a loud, tearful laughter, pointing their hooves at Scootaloo. Scootaloo's eyes watered, but she was determined not to cry. She desperately blinked back the tears, and then...she saw a sight that made her sick to the stomach.

Diamond Tiara.

She had her arm around White Wind, laughing snootily at Scootaloo's unfortunate mishap. White Wind was laughing along with Diamond Tiara, not seeming to care that she had him in an embrace. She saw Dark Chocolate next to them, with a more concerned look, but she didn't care if the whole world was concerned for her right now. All she could do was look at the scene of Diamond Tiara and White Wind.

Scootaloo felt the tears coming. But she didn't try to hold them back. She let the tears stream from her eyes...all the sadness she had felt stream out of her.

She ran. Out of the shop. To somewhere...where she would be secure of the laughter...of the pain. She kept running, not sure where she should go. Somewhere...with a pony that cared for her. Scootaloo paused. _Of course! Fluttershy's cottage! _Scootaloo halted to a stop and spun around, racing to Fluttershy's cottage where she knew she would be safe.

Bits of chocolate flew from her purple mane as she hurried on the familiar route to Fluttershy's cottage. The image of Diamond Tiara and White Wind lingered in her mind, taunting her.

* * *

**D'aww, poor Scootaloo.**

**Indigo: Yeah, I know.**

**Me: O.o Where did you come from?**

**Indigo: Oh, I thought I'd drop by to keep you company. You seemed a bit lonely.**

**Me: Uh...thank you? Well, read and review guys!**

**Indigo: Yeah, what she said!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Terrible Truth

**Me: Well that sure was a chocolaty mess.**

**Dark Chocolate: You said it.**

**Me: Where did you come from?!**

**Dark Chocolate: Oh, Indigo invited me over!**

**Me: *Glares at Indigo* Did you?**

**Indigo: Heh, sorry.**

**Me: Well, time for the review replies. I really don't feel like replying to reviews now, so let's have Indigo and Dark Chocolate do it!**

**Indigo & Dark Chocolate: Aw yeah!**

**Crimson Banner: ****Dark Chocolate: Uh...yay? **

**Indigo: Huh?**

**Asaf: ****Indigo & Dark Chocolate: SQUEE.**

**Biggmomma46: Dark Chocolate: I don't like Diamond Tiara!**

**Indigo: You're not supposed to like her anyway. She's supposed to be the villain in this story!**

**Dark Chocolate: Oh, right.**

**ShiningShadow1965: Indigo & Dark Chocolate: Yeah!**

**Cookies n Cream: Indigo: That's all up to the author...not us.**

**Dark Chocolate: You said it, Indigo.**

**Guest (ebk21): Indigo: Perhaps...but then again, we're not responsible for that kind of stuff. FlutterDaisy doesn't let us help with the writing.**

**Dark Chocolate: Yeah, what's up with that, FlutterDaisy?**

**Me: ...**

**Hermione Sparkle: Dark Chocolate: Thanks a lot!**

**Indigo: Yeah, thanks for the support!**

**Me: Now let's not waste any more time and get on with this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Terrible Truth

Diamond Tiara opened one eye and smiled smugly, still having White Wind in an embrace. Diamond Tiara saw that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were staring at the doorway where Scootaloo had disappeared, their mouths open and their eyes wide in unmistakable shock.

Sweetie Belle held up a hoof, looking as if she were going to go after Scootaloo, but Apple Bloom shook her head and Sweetie Belle reluctantly put it down.

When the laughter had finally died away, Diamond Tiara put a hoof to her mouth and whispered to White Wind, "Want to sample some chocolates together?"

"Sure," White Wind replied eagerly, still not aware of how close they were.

Diamond Tiara smiled evilly.

* * *

Scootaloo finally reached Fluttershy's cottage. She raced up the path to her cottage and pounded her hoof against the door, crying and yelling. Fluttershy opened the door, causing Scootaloo to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Fluttershy opened her mouth in surprise, her teal eyes wide. "Scootaloo!" Fluttershy gasped. "Are you okay?"

Scootaloo gazed up at Fluttershy with devastated purple eyes. "Help me," she rasped.

* * *

"Okay, so let me get this straight. You like a colt from your class but you also think Diamond Tiara likes him too?" Fluttershy said, focusing her eyes on Scootaloo's.

Scootaloo nodded.

Fluttershy sighed. "Well, I'm sorry Scootaloo, but I may not be able to help you much. You see, I've never had a very special somepony of my own, so I don't know what you're feeling right now...but my advice is, try to be nice to this 'White Wind.' It sounds like Diamond Tiara is a bit of a...'not-so-nice pony.' Just try to be nice and calm...and you'll make it out all right."

"Alright, Fluttershy. Thanks for the advice." Scootaloo sprang up, her purple-colored mane bouncing up and down as she headed to the door.

"Any time," Fluttershy replied modestly.

Scootaloo hesitated and glanced at the doorknob, wondering whether she should go or not.

"Er - Fluttershy?" Scootaloo said, craning her neck to look at Fluttershy, who was about to leave the room.

Fluttershy paused and answered, "Yes, Scootaloo?"

"Um... is it okay if I stay at your cottage again?"

Fluttershy blinked, the curiosity unmistakably clear in her eyes. She didn't answer for a moment, her eyes burning into Scootaloo's. Scootaloo gulped and almost thought she was going to say no. Finally, Fluttershy responded with a simple "Of course."

Scootaloo sighed, easing her worry and trotted back to the couch, settling down on the fabric. It felt so cold under her warm body. Since there was nothing else to do, Scootaloo closed her eyes, readying herself for a nice long sleep. Her head drooped and she lay her head on her hooves, feeling light and sleepy. The cold afternoon air ruffled her spiked mane.

As she began to drift off to sleep, Scootaloo heard the familiar steady pattern of hooves thumping against the ground, a squeak, some shuffling and soft murmurs, and a faint slam. She then heard the pattern of hooves again, and suddenly she was covered in a deep warmth. Scootaloo snuggled under the soft warmth that embraced her. She then heard the familiar soft voice urging her to sleep.

_Hush now, quiet now_

_It's time to lay your sleepy head_

_Hush now, quiet now_

_It's time to go to bed_

Scootaloo only heard a few more verse of the lullaby until she drifted completely off to sleep.

* * *

Scootaloo, who was still half-asleep, heard the thumping of hooves along the floor and some muffled voices. She caught a few of them. She recognized one as Fluttershy's, but who were the other voices coming from?

"Oh, Scootaloo's right here. She's still sleeping though, so you'll have to be quiet."

"We just came to see how she was doing!"

"Yeah, Fluttershy. Can we come in and see her?"

"Well...as long as you don't wake her up."

Scootaloo heard hooves trotting against the ground. She recognized one pattern of hooves as Fluttershy's, but she still couldn't figure out the others. The other pair of hoof patterns were more rapid and loud though, as if they were from younger ponies.

"She looks so peaceful."

"After what happened earlier today..."

Scootaloo heard the sound of hooves which were probably Fluttershy's.

"Don't get into any trouble, girls!"

"We won't!"

Scootaloo wondered if she should wake up. Her curiosity of who the other ponies were was killing her. But for some reason, she decided not to.

"Hey Scootaloo..."

"We just wanted to stop by and tell you somethin'...even though you're asleep, you should still hear this..."

"Diamond Tiara...she asked White Wind to 'be' with her...and White Wind said 'sure.' Everypony is talking about it at school."

"Well, bye Scootaloo...we'll speak to you again when you're awake - "

Scootaloo shot up, shaken. She blinked and saw that her friends Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were sitting beside her on the couch.

"WHAT?!"


	7. Chapter 7: The Beginning

**Me: *GASPS* 12 new reviews ALREADY?! You guys are amazing!**

**Dark Chocolate & Indigo: Hey Flutterdaisy!**

**Me: Oh great. You guys again?! Just when I was hoping for some peace! Oh well...time for the review replies! This should be fun.**

**Daschnookle: I'm trying. Please don't rush me.**

**CreepyStalkerFangirl: There is no use fighting the Tiara!**

**HMLover: Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. And thank you, I'm glad to hear that I made someone's day a little better. By the way, nice cat-derp picture. **

**Crimson Banner: Agreed!**

**carlyleclangclangcortes: Oh...goodness...**

**Scootaloo: Thanks, Scootaloo!**

**ShiningShadow1965: Thanks for the support. :)**

**Biggmomma46: Diamond Tiara is a spoiled, snooty little brat that should be tortured to death! *Fluttershy Evil Laugh***

**Guest (ebk21): Eeyup.**

**earth hart: Again, I'm trying to update quicker, but school has kept me from updating a lot. I will try to update a lot on the weekends, though. So...yeah.**

**Hermione Sparkle: Mhm.**

**pjb1234: Thanks! About the OC, I'm not sure if I'll be needing one at the moment. I'm not planning for any new ponies in the story yet, so...eeyup.**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Beginning

Scootaloo was sitting up on the couch, her eyes wide in fear. "Wh - what?" she said, more softly this time. Her friends looked startled at first, but quickly recovered.

"White Wind is with Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said softly. "Everypony is saying it at school."

"No..." Scootaloo whispered. "No."

"What's the matter, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo's cheeks were wet with tears. She got up and slammed her hoof on the ground-hard. "NO!" she screamed. Her friends jumped at her aggressive tone.

"Sc - Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked, nervously glancing from side to side.

"GO AWAY!" Scootaloo yelled, her anger flaring up like wildfire. "JUST GO AWAY!" She turned away from them, mumbling darkly, "I don't want to see you guys."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle teared up at this. They both exchanged looks of hurt and disbelief. "F - Fine!" Sweetie Belle said, turning to go. Apple Bloom glanced at her over her shoulder, the sadness raw in her orange eyes. The two fillies trudged out of the cottage slowly, glancing back every so often.

Scootaloo was breathing heavily, her teeth bared and her heart pounding. Her round eyes were narrowed to tiny slits. A delicate pattern of hooves told her that Fluttershy had entered the room. "Oh goodness! What has happened here?" Fluttershy said, looking around with wide teal eyes.

Scootaloo slowly turned, her dark gaze fixed upon Fluttershy. Fluttershy met her provoked glare, her mouth slightly agape. They stayed like that for a heartbeat, until Scootaloo finally got up and faced Fluttershy. Fluttershy's soft eyes blinked slowly as Scootaloo met her eyes for a while longer.

Scootaloo finally broke the silence by screaming, "GO JUMP IN A LAKE, FLUTTERSHY!" Then, summoning all the strength she could muster, headbutted Fluttershy as hard she could. Fluttershy awkwardly toppled over, her startled eyes visible as she tumbled down. She landed hard on the floor and Scootaloo, seeing Fluttershy's terrified face, smirked harshly.

Scootaloo, still not satisfied, went into the kitchen to get a bucket of water. When she returned, Fluttershy was still on the floor in shock. She clenched the bucket handle with her teeth and threw the freezing cold water on Fluttershy. She looked up at Scootaloo, her mouth still agape. Her pale yellow body trembled as her eyes traveled to her soaking wet body and mane. She finally pulled herself up, staring at Scootaloo for a moment longer before bursting into tears and running out of the cottage.

Scootaloo didn't feel a single pang of sympathy as she coldly watched Fluttershy race out the door, her soaking pink tail leaving a glittering trail of water.

She only trotted out the door after Fluttershy, not to comfort her, but to escape.

* * *

As Scootaloo walked, she knew she had to go somewhere else. Fluttershy obviously would not want to have her at her home anymore. _I can't go home,_ she thought. _I - I can't. That's the one place I don't want to be. Where can I go? I can't go to Rainbow Dash...that would just be stupid._

She kept thinking of where she could go, her mind whirling with different emotions. She finally stopped to take a rest beside a large tree jutting out in the dusty dirt. She sat down, and suddenly her bare orange flank bumped against something hard. Scootaloo shifted her head and what she saw made her as furious as a dragon who's lost its precious jewels.

A diamond tiara.

Scootaloo snatched the glittering tiara, terrible rage flaming up inside of her. _This must be Diamond Tiara's, _she thought angrily. The very thought of Diamond Tiara made her go wild. Scootaloo, still grasping the tiara, stretched back her arm and chucked the tiara as far she could.

But she wasn't satisfied.

Scootaloo stood up, her eyes fierce with anger. _This was just the beginning._

* * *

**Me: I'm sorry everypony, you were all probably expecting a bit more. Also, in this story, Scootaloo does have a home, but I'm not going into detail about that.**_  
_

**Indigo: I thought it was quite good.**

**Dark Chocolate: Poor Scootaloo...**

**Me: Oh...thank you Indigo. Anyway, read and review everypony! /)**


	8. Chapter 8: Unloved

**Me: Hey everypony! I'm back as you can see. Ready for another chapter?**

**Indigo & Dark Chocolate: FLUTTERDAISY! WE'RE HERE!**

**Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *Locks myself in a closet***

**Indigo & Dark Chocolate: ?**

**Me: Um, sorry everypony...anyway, let's do some review replies!**

**Southhoof: Yup, thanks. And I promise I will keep updating.**

**Hermione Sparkle: I do like Fluttershy, honest. She's my favorite pony...it was just for the chapter. I didn't truly mean to hurt anypony.  
**

**ShiningShadow1965: Yep. Diamond Tiara will be nothing after Scootaloo is finished with her.**

**RAINBOWDASHFAN: Here you go!**

**Guest (ebk21): Oh my...**

**Crimson Banner: Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make anypony hate Scootaloo...**

**Fire Wing: I see.**

**pjb1234: Sorry...but if I make any future My Little Pony fanfictions, I'll try to include your OC, alright?**

**Biggmomma46: I know...sorry.**

**carlyleclangclangcortes: *returns the hug gratefully***

* * *

Chapter 8: Unloved

The next morning, Scootaloo rushed to the schoolhouse. The sun was barely up, and the town seemed deserted at this hour. Scootaloo had slept under a tree overnight since there were no other options, and her usually bright coat was covered in dirt. Her mane was untidy and her large eyes were wet and red. Scootaloo finally arrived at the schoolhouse, looking around. The yard was empty.

She glanced inside the schoolhouse, expecting to see her classmates talking excitedly inside. No sight of them. Scootaloo glanced around some more before sitting down to catch her breath. _I must be early, _she thought grimly. She yawned. "Might as well do something," she said out loud, not caring that nopony could hear her.

She spotted a patch of flowers. They were pink, purple, and white. They shimmered beautifully under the morning sun. As Scootaloo stared at the flowers, she suddenly realized that the colors on the flowers were identical to Diamond Tiara's pink coat and purple and white mane.

Her fury flamed up, suddenly controlling her. Scootaloo hurled herself at the flowers, flattening them by stomping on the delicate flowers.

Scootaloo's eye twitched as she stood back to gaze at the flattened flowers. She growled under her breath, picturing each flower to have Diamond Tiara's head. She stayed like that for a while, angrily staring at the flowers.

Scootaloo shot upright as she heard the sound of mixed laughter. She whirled around to see that her classmates were arriving at the schoolhouse. She saw Diamond Tiara laughing with Silver Spoon, and she gritted her teeth in unmistakable anger.

_After I'm done with you, Dummy Tiara, you'll regret that you ever laid your hooves on _my _White Wind, _thought Scootaloo bitterly.

* * *

Scootaloo sat down, her eyes wandering to Diamond Tiara. She was chatting enthusiastically with White Wind, glancing at her every so often and smirking.

But Scootaloo, on the contrast, smiled. _Dummy Tiara won't be smirking once I'm finished with her, _she thought, rubbing her hooves together maliciously. She kept muttering to herself the entire day, planning out what she was going to do.

When recess came, Scootaloo eagerly sprang out of her seat, trotting out of the schoolhouse. She whistled a tune, trying to look as innocent as possible before spotting over to Diamond Tiara who was talking with White Wind.

The very sight of them made Scootaloo want to boil but she held back her anger and trotted over to the pair, putting on a fake grin.

"H - Hey Dummy - er, I m-mean, _Diamond_ Tiara," Scootaloo stammered. She grinned even wider now, sweating like crazy.

White Wind looked at her, confused, while Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and scoffed. "_Please. _I have like, way better things to do than talk to a loser like you," she said.

White Wind, attempting to follow Diamond Tiara's drift, said, "Uh, yeah!"

Scootaloo who was trying not to burst, put an arm (or leg, whatever) around Diamond Tiara. "Oh, I just wanted to talk with Diamond Tiara," Scootaloo responded, purposely adding in, "_Privately._"

Diamond Tiara squirmed and freed herself from Scootaloo's grip. Exchanging glances with White Wind, she finally rolled her eyes and answered, "Fine, _loser. _But only for a minute."

Scootaloo sighed in relief and lead Diamond Tiara to a deserted area of the playground. She looked back every so often to make sure White Wind wasn't looking, then stuck out her hoof, tripping her. Diamond Tiara tumbled onto the earth, her mane ruined.

She spat out a mouthful of dirt before whipping around to glower at Scootaloo. "Like, what did you do that for?!" she sputtered.

Scootaloo calmly walked up close to her, glaring fiercely. "Listen here," she hissed. "You're dead meat!"

Scootaloo pounced on her, snarling. She bit her hoof and Diamond Tiara shrieked, trying to fight back but flailed her hooves aimlessly. She obviously wasn't cut out for fighting. Scootaloo kicked her hooves, knocking the breath out of Diamond Tiara.

All the emotions she had felt flooded out of her, and targeted it all on Diamond Tiara. The flurry of dirt and dust and fighting fillies brought attention to the other ponies, and a small crowd had gathered around the scene.

Cheerilee suddenly came into view, looking cross. She yelled, "Break it up, you two!" She walked over to the fight and pushed herself between the two fighting fillies. Scootaloo immediately stopped. Her mane was ragged and her coat was criss-crossed with scratches. Diamond Tiara looked even worse. Her mane looked like a rat's nest, and her coat was even more beat-up.

Scootaloo sat, her ragged purple tail wrapped around her trembling body. She looked up helplessly as Cheerilee towered over her and Diamond Tiara. She looked around, her eyes begging for help, but nopony seemed willing to lend a hoof. She saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turn away, opening one eye to glare at her.

She craned her neck to see that White Wind was glaring at her, too. Indigo was with him, but looked more puzzled. Dark Chocolate looked thoroughly shocked.

Diamond Tiara instantly sprang up, and shouted, "Scootaloo attacked me, Miss Cheerilee! She tackled me and got me into a fight! It was all her fault!" She pointed her hoof threateningly at Scootaloo.

Cheerilee stepped over to her, glaring down at her. "Is this true?" she asked. Her tone was calm, but her eyes were burning with anger.

Scootaloo looked down at the soft grass, and softly mumbled, "Yes." She could feel everypony's eyes...practically burning into her.

"What was that?" Cheerilee's voice seemed to boom, even though her voice was still calm.

"Yes!" Scootaloo said again, more loudly this time. Miss Cheerilee narrowed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Scootaloo, for your punishment, you will stay after school for the next two weeks. You will stay for 2 hours and will not be able to do anything in that time. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Miss Cheerilee," grumbled Scootaloo.

Miss Cheerilee walked away. Soon, the other ponies that were gathered were beginning to fade, too. A few lingered to watch Scootaloo as she sadly picked at the ground with her front hoof. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walked right past without even glancing at her.

She looked up and saw Cheerilee fussing over Diamond Tiara. She gave her a blanket and walked her into the schoolhouse, still fussing. She turned into Scootaloo's direction and smiled smugly, then turned back and smiled at Cheerilee. Scootaloo's mind was swarming with thoughts.

_No Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom...my reputation is ruined...Miss Cheerilee doesn't even like me anymore...Diamond Tiara..._

Scootaloo sighed. _Maybe I shouldn't have gone that far. White Wind probably hates me now. The whole class probably hates_ _me._

"Hey."

Scootaloo looked up, and found herself face-to-face with an angry White Wind.

"What did you do that for?" he said. "Why'd you hurt Diamond Tiara?"

Scootaloo didn't answer.

"Just keep your disgusting hooves away from me..." White Wind growled, and trotted off to join Diamond Tiara.

Scootaloo sat there, crushed. The bell rang. It was time to go back inside. Scootaloo got up and trudged back to the schoolhouse, not even bothering to cry. A sudden thought raced through her mind.

_Nopony likes me..._


	9. Chapter 9: Paper Balls

**Me: *I slowly peek my head out of the closet and glance around nervously* ****Alright, no sign of Dark Chocolate or Indigo...good. Anyway, hey, I'm back. Oh, and thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it that you took the time to review on this story. It means a lot to me...anyway, I'll just reply to the reviews.**

**CreepyStalkerFangirl: Yes, I hope so too...**

**ShiningShadow1965: Thank you very much! I appreciate your support.**

**Biggmomma46: I'm sorry if you wanted to see more of the fight scene, but I had to keep it short and simple. This _is_ a K+ fanfiction, after all.**

**Fire Wing: Um...lol?**

**GAMMA DAWN14: Thanks and as I said before, I'm not sure if I'll be needing any new ponies in the story. I'm not planning for any new ponies...yet.**

**Crimson Banner: Yep.**

**Southhoof: Thanks, and I will.**

**echo hart: Well, I already have 3 OC's so I probably won't be needing another...so, um...sorry.**

**carlyleclangclangcortes: o_o'**

**RAINBOWDASHFAN: It's just about to start right now.**

**RandomPony: Eeyup. And thank you for reviewing. :P**

**Hermione Sparkle: Okay...to answer your questions:**

**1. Um...yes? *nervous squee***

**2. Problem?**

**3. *KIND OF A SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY A SPOILER BECAUSE IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS SO YOU CAN READ IT IF YOU WANT AND ALSO I LIKE PUPPIES* Well, obviously they're gonna forgive her...**

**4. Well of course it isn't fair, but that's just the way I wrote the story.**

**5. Yep.**

**6. Well, you'll soon figure out. :P**

**Read and review, please! I mean...if you want to, that is.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Paper Balls

_I lost my great, unending pride_

_I lost my faithful friends_

_It just feels like I'm swallowed up or pushed aside_

_I guess it's the inevitable end_

_I mean, nopony even cares_

_That little Scootaloo here_

_Is cold and hungry and scared_

_But really, I guess it's only fair_

_I yelled at everypony, I made them feel_

_Just like me_

_Cold and unreal_

_And now, I'm sitting under this old tree_

_All alone...and I deserve it _

Tears soaked Scootaloo's cheeks as she said these words out loud to herself. Her eyes were red and puffy and wet with glistening tears. She was crouching low in the clearing with the tree, letting her tears slip into the damp ground.

The sun was just beginning to dip below the trees, the sky deepening to a majestic red tinged with yellow-orange and pink. Scootaloo paid no attention to the magnificent sunset and continued weeping uncontrollably. Finally, she collapsed onto the dirt. She sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. "_Look at me...I really _am _a loser,_" Scootaloo sighed.

Suddenly, something caught her eye. In the distance, was a blur of light pink, cream yellow and a flash of teal. Scootaloo immediately knew what those colors represented and at that moment, wanted nothing more than to curl up on her cozy couch, knowing everything would be all right, and drifting off to a long slumber. But then, something else caught her eye. Another flash of cream yellow and...light blue?

Scootaloo shook her head, all the drama that had once consumed her erased from her mind, and squinted into the distance again, but the flash of blue had already gone. She blinked curiously, wondering what could be going on.

All of a sudden, a tiny white blur whizzed past Scootaloo and landed next to her. Scootaloo whipped around to look at it, her eyes furrowed in confusion.

A...paper ball?...

Puzzled, Scootaloo snatched the rolled-up ball of paper. A sudden thought flickered in her mind. _Open it up. _

Without thinking, Scootaloo obeyed and unrolled the paper. As soon as she had one glance at the words written on the piece of paper, she turned as stiff as a stick.

_"Hah, nice try, Loserloo. Did you really think you could steal my White Wind? He would never have wanted to be with a stupid little blank flank like you anyway. You're nothing but a mere loser with no brain and no cutie mark. Go back to the pony nursery, chicken."_

Scootaloo's eyes watered, but she held back her tears, determined not to cry. Scootaloo glanced around, looking for the source of the paper that was in her hooves. Suddenly, about a dozen other paper balls landed in front of Scootaloo. Her purple eyes widened as she picked up the other paper balls and opened them up.

_"Loser."_

_"Dumb blank flank."_

_"You're such an idiot, you know that?"_

_"You're just a CHICKEN."_

_"Loserloo: forever alone."_

_"Even Cheerilee hates you."_

_"Nobody likes you, loser."_

Scootaloo was sobbing as she opened up all the papers and read them out loud.

_"You're not a pony, you're a monster. Everypony thinks so now."_

_"Try to get White Wind now."_

_"No place to go now."_

_"I hope you get caught in the rain."_

_"Everypony would be better off without you. Even your little loser friends hate you."_

Scootaloo finally broke down, letting her depression get the best of her. "I _am _a idiot, chicken, loser, blank flank, and monster that nopony likes and would be better off without..." she whispered to herself. "And I do deserve to get caught in the rain, too..."

As if on cue, the sky darkened and it suddenly began to rain very heavily. The raindrops slipped through the tree's shelter of leaves and poured down on Scootaloo.

Scootaloo did nothing but lay down on the damp soil. The dirt was beginning to form into mud, and the slippery mud felt disgusting as she sank down into the thick muddy mess. Her wet mane flopped as she lifted her head to glance around the wet clearing, her face showing no expression whatsoever.

Then she dropped her head onto her soaking wet hooves and slept there in the pouring rain.


	10. Chapter 10: Lost Forever

**Me: Hello everypony! Thank you so much for the reviews. To pay you back, I present you...chapter 10!**

**Dark Chocolate: Hi!**

**Me: Oh hey Dark - wait, where's Indigo?**

**Dark Chocolate: Uh, he's with White Wind right now.**

**Me: Oh...okay.**

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**1. It's fine.**

**2. Hmm...I shall try.**

**3. Maybe...or maybe not. DUN DUN DUN...**

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* * *

Chapter 10: Lost Forever

A pony, hidden by the shadows, looked out in the dreadful downpour. The trees' green leaves were practically blowing off the branches. Thick fog swirled around the gloomy atmosphere.

The pony kneaded the floor with its hooves, wishing for a chance to go outside and get some fresh air. But this was no weather for anypony to be taking a walk. The pony sighed, then set its hooves onto the window pane, staring out into the rain. There was nothing to do in this terrible weather. The pony sighed once again, then jumped and fell to the floor as it heard a loud boom. The pony scrambled up to look outside.

A crack of lightning emerged from the dark gray blanket covering the night sky, blinding the pony for a split second. The pony stood with its hooves on the window pane, watching the thunderstorm rage on outside.

The bright light from the jagged lightning illuminated the scene every so often, making the pony stare in awe. Then, as the bright light from the raging lightning illuminated the world for about a second, the pony caught sight of something in the distance.

As the lightning went, the light faded too and the atmosphere was dull and dreary again. The pony rubbed its eyes, then leaned closer and squinted into the storm. The thick mist was making the object difficult to see, but the pony made out some orange and purple.

The pony squinted even harder, trying to make out the unknown object. It appeared to be pretty small...

The pony grunted, straining its eyes, dying to know what was out there. The pony pressed an eye against the clear window but instantly retreated, covering the eye with a hoof, grumbling.

"Dinner!"

The pony straightened up, hearing the familiar voice. The pony forgot all about its determination to find out what that thing was out in the storm, and got down from the window. The pony stepped out of the shadows, revealing a cream yellow body and a light blue mane.

* * *

"You really did it?"

"Yeah, and it was like, _so_ funny!"

"That idea was so genius of you..."

"I know, I'm so smart."

"Uh-huh."

"I love being special!"

"Oh! Like, how did the little loser react?"

"She had a temper tantrum!"

"Oh my gosh! Like, did she really?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Tell me about it!"

"Well, after I threw all those paper balls, she broke down, wailing and crying! She kept crying to herself that those things I wrote weren't true! She even tore up the papers!"

"Oh, not only is she a loser and a blank flank, but also a _stupid baby!_"

"So true!"

"What did the idiot loser do after that?"

"She just plopped down and cried her eyes out!"

"Wow, what a loser."

"I know, right!"

* * *

Scootaloo woke up, rubbing her eyes delicately with a hoof. The sky was no longer gray, and the sun was just beginning to rise. Scootaloo yawned, rubbing her eyes absent-mindedly with a hoof. The mud still stuck to her coat, giving her a messy appearance. She glanced around the clearing, still damp from the heavy rain that occurred yesterday.

Then she spotted the paper balls.

Scootaloo, not wanting to relive that memory, forced herself to look away but it was too late. Memories of what happened last night flashed through her mind, and it was that moment that Scootaloo wanted to cry more than ever. But she couldn't. She had to be tough...like Rainbow Dash would have done. Scootaloo forced back the tears that were beginning to slip out of her eyes.

She pushed herself up from the muddy ground, flicking off the specks of mud from her coat. She shook her head violently, trying to get all the mud and dirt out of her ragged mane. The process made no difference. Scootaloo could still tell that she looked like a crime against fashion, as Rarity would say. She began to pace around the tree, sending up a cloud of dirt and grit. Finally she plopped down on the ground and groaned. "I'm so bored!" she complained. "There's nothing to do, I can't go anywhere, and nopony likes me!"

Scootaloo rolled over so she was lying on her back and staring up at the cloud-filled sky. She watched the clouds pass for a few minutes, until she said, "I never knew being alone could be so...alone." She rolled over again, and got up. "That's it. I can't stay here...maybe I can find a temporary place to stay!" Scootaloo, encouraged by her own thoughts, set out to find a place she could stay for a while...or at least rest.

* * *

Scootaloo first stopped at Twilight Sparkle's place, thinking she might have some luck there. She felt a pang of nervousness as she raised a hoof to knock on the library door. However, Twilight did not appear in the doorway, but Spike. Spike opened the door, and when he saw who it was, his face instantly changed to an annoyed look.

Scootaloo wondered if Spike knew about everypony hating her, or whether he was just in a bad mood today. She decided to risk it and said, "Oh hey Spike. Is Twilight there?"

"No," Spike responded, still looking irritated. "What are you gonna do, beat her up too?"

"What? I'm not - "

Too late; Spike had already shut the door. Scootaloo stared, feeling her heart break a little. _Guess I can rule out Twilight Sparkle's place..._ Scootaloo thought, trotting away to another destination.

* * *

Scootaloo stopped at Carousal Boutique, hoping Rarity would take her in. She half hoped Sweetie Belle would be here but also half hoped she would not. She raised a hoof and pounded on the door. Sweetie Belle appeared this time. Her cheerful expression turned annoyed when she saw her, just like how it went with Spike at Twilight's place. "Hey Scootaloo..." Sweetie Belle said without much enthusiasm.

"Hey Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo replied. "Is Rarity inside right now...?"

"Nope," Sweetie Belle responded, again no eagerness hinted in her voice. "She's out collecting gemstones for her new outfit."

"Oh...er, okay. That's fine. Can I come in, though?" Scootaloo asked hopefully, even though she knew what her reply would be.

"Nope," she said, and slammed the door, right in Scootaloo's face. Scootaloo let out a deep sigh, her heart cracking some more. She turned away from the boutique and began walking someplace else.

* * *

Scootaloo raced over to Sweet Apple Acres, hoping that Applejack would let her stay. She swiftly rushed past the apple trees and skidded to a stop near the barn. She knocked on the barn door, waiting patiently for somepony to open the door. This time Big Macintosh came. "Hello Big Mac," Scootaloo began.

"Eeyup?"

"Have you seen Applejack or anypony?"

"Eenope."

"Oh, okay," Scootaloo said, feeling a bit disappointed. "Could I stay here for a while...you know, to live temporarily? I'm kind of out of a place to stay right now..."

"Eenope."

The door was closed until Scootaloo had time to react...Her heart was almost completely broken. _How did he figure out about...oh well. There's still Pinkie Pie, I guess, _she thought glumly and headed over to Sugar Cube Corner.

* * *

Sugar Cube Corner had a extra-long line of customers today, which was unusual. Scootaloo brushed it away, however, assuming it was probably just a special sale or something. Scootaloo walked to the end of the enormously long line, stamping her hooves in frustration. "Come on," she grunted. "Hurry up already!" Every minute felt like an hour. The line seemed to move as slow as a sloth. Every so often she glanced up and down the line, groaning.

When she finally reached the front of the line, she somehow got shoved back a few ponies and had to wait even longer. When she finally trotted up to Mrs. Cake, she questioned, "Have you seen Pinkie Pie?"

She nodded. "She's upstairs," Mrs. Cake responded.

"I was wondering if I could kinda live here...you know, just for a while. Is that okay with you?" Scootaloo asked, sweat trickling down her forehead.

"Oh, I don't know. I'll check with Pinkie, I guess!" Mrs. Cake replied. "Pinkie!"

Pinkie Pie's pink head poked out from upstairs. "Yes?" she answered in her cheery voice.

"Scootaloo here would like to live here temporarily," Mrs. Cake told her. "I'm just checking with you if it is okay."

Pinkie's smile vanished as her blue eyes darted from Mrs. Cake to Scootaloo. She hesitated, then said, "...No."

Mrs. Cake turned back to gaze at Scootaloo. "I'm sorry, Scootaloo, but it seems that we can't take you in."

That was it.

Scootaloo's heart completely broke. Scootaloo forced a smile and a nod, then whirled around to rush out of the store. Her mane blew in the wind, covering her tear-soaked face as she raced back to the muddy clearing with the tree, the only place she could call home now. The broken remains of her heart were shattered, lost forever.


	11. Chapter 11: Sunny Shine

**Me: Are my eyes deceiving me, or are there 101 reviews?! Thank you so much, everypony! I love you all! Look, I made a really long chapter just for you guys! A thank-you gift for all the reviews!**

**Dark Chocolate, Indigo, & White Wind: Hey!**

**Me: Hey Indigo, Dark Chocolate, and White - wait...White Wind?!**

**White Wind: Yeah, what's up?**

**Me: What - get out of here, you're not supposed to be here!**

**Indigo: Hey, Dark Chocolate and I were never allowed to be here, and you still let us stay! Why not White Wind?**

**Me: Because...you're not exactly a good guy in this story! ._.**

**White Wind: So?  
**

**Me: Oh fine, you can stay...but only for a little bit.**

**White Wind: Yay. :3**

**Me: Alright, you ponies be quiet while I do the review replies now.**

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**Dark Chocolate: Well, I think Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are okay, but I don't really like how they just turn their backs on Scootaloo. And Scootaloo, I think she's really pretty nice, and I feel really bad for her at the moment. Scootaloo doesn't deserve to be hated, she's very kind!**

**Kokorokisses: Thank you! :)**

**Again, thank you all so much for the reviews! /)**

* * *

Chapter 11: Sunny Shine

Scootaloo crouched in the thick mud, the sound of sobbing echoing around the clearing. A waterfall of tears dripped onto the mud, disappearing quickly and making the mud even gooier. Scootaloo knew this was getting old, but she couldn't help it. The tears just came without any warning, and she didn't try to stop them. She knew Rainbow Dash would have never dropped to such softness, but to be honest, she really didn't care about anypony at the moment. After all, nopony even liked her. Nopony would take her in, which clearly proved how hated she was.

Scootaloo could never forget the eyes that burned into her every time she tried to ask...the eyes full of undisguised hostility. _How could I have fallen for that stupid White Wind? Why did I turn against everypony that cared for me? Why does this have to happen to me? _These thoughts swirled around Scootaloo's head, causing her to feel dizzy and place a shaky hoof against her forehead, trying to calm her anxiousness.

"Stupid Diamond Tiara..." Scootaloo muttered angrily. "This is all her fault...all her doing...why does she always have to ruin everything?!" She pounded her hoof in frustration, accidentally sending up a spray of mud, splashing all over her face. Scootaloo opened two annoyed eyes and wiped the icky mud off her face, rolling her eyes.

"I'll probably die of boredom," Scootaloo murmured to herself, plopping down on the mud, not caring that the mud felt disgusting as she sank into it. She yawned, and set her head onto her hooves. "I guess I'll take a nap," Scootaloo said, feeling a sharp pang of sadness as she continued, "since nopony likes me and will take me in..."

* * *

Rainbow Dash strolled around Ponyville, flipping her rainbow-colored mane as she glanced around the bright atmosphere, her light blue wings folded. Rainbow spotted Twilight's library home in the distance, the bright sunlight making it shine brightly. A sudden thought raced through her mind and she decided to pay Twilight Sparkle a visit. Dash spread out her strong wings and soared over to Twilight's place, flapping her wings strenuously.

Rainbow slowed her pace, and finally skidded to a halt in front of the library, folding her wings and sending up a cloud of dust. She knocked on the library door and the door opened, a familiar unicorn appearing at the doorway. "Come on in, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said, smiling brightly. "Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Rarity are here, too!"

Rainbow stepped inside, shutting the door behind her and turning to gaze at her friends. "Hey," she greeted, suddenly feeling awkward. "Er - what's up?"

"I almost thought you were Scootaloo," grunted Spike, his eyes. At the sound of Scootaloo's name, the rest of the ponies except Rainbow Dash suddenly turned stiff.

"Scootaloo?" repeated Rainbow Dash, confused. "Why'd ya think I was Scootaloo?" Rainbow trotted over to Spike, playfully nudging him and grinning. Spike appeared to be annoyed, his green eyes dark and narrowed.

She saw this and slowly stepped away from him, raising an eyebrow. "What's up with him?" she whispered to her friends.

"Didn't you hear?" Twilight Sparkle said, her eyes dark and narrowed like Spike's. "The rumors?"

"Uh, what rumors?"

"About _Scootaloo_!" Pinkie Pie interrupted fiercely. "She beat up another filly! _For no reason_!"

"And she asked us all if she could _live _with us after that," growled Spike.

Dash's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No...she wouldn't do something like that! The little squirt wouldn't beat up somepony! Never!" she protested.

"She did." Fluttershy abruptly broke in, lowering her eyes. "She...hurt me too..."

Everypony's eyes turned towards Fluttershy, and she began to tremble as the spotlight went on her.

"She - ...she stayed at my cottage a few days ago. B - but then, shortly after her friends came to cheer her up, she...t - turned against me...s - she headbutted me - " Fluttershy broke down crying, Rarity patting her back trying to comfort and calm her at once.

"Did anything else happen?" Twilight Sparkle questioned.

"Um, and th - then...she threw a bu-bucket of cold w-water on me...and I raced ou - out, crying..."

Rainbow's mouth was wide open and she stared unblinkingly at her friends. Her head was reeling with questions. "But...Scootaloo wouldn't do that."

"Rainbow, Fluttershy just said she did," Applejack told her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but it's true; Fluttershy wouldn't lie about that." Fluttershy lifted her head from her weeping and nodded at this, then lowered her head again and continued to cry.

Rainbow just stared at them in disbelief. "But...Scootaloo..."

Applejack walked over to Rainbow Dash, putting an orange hoof on her shoulder. "Listen here, sugar cube. I know Scootaloo's like a sister to you and she idolizes you and all, but ya gotta face the truth. She's a bully now; she attacked Fluttershy, another filly and possibly even more."

Rainbow Dash just shook her head, staring at the floor of the library. Suddenly she lifted her head to gaze at her friends. "Did you actually witness it?" she challenged. "Scootaloo attacking the filly?" Her pony (and dragon) friends all fell silent at this question. Pinkie Pie began to shuffle her front hooves nervously, glancing around the library and its many books, sweat dripping off her forehead.

"Well no," Twilight finally answered. "But Scootaloo attacking Fluttershy was enough to prove that she's turned bad."

"It was just that one time," Dash murmured. "Maybe...maybe she got angry or something...?"

"Angry enough to injure Fluttershy?" Applejack said, shooting a glance at the still crying yellow pegasus. "Rainbow Dash, you just gotta face facts. Scootaloo ain't the same filly. She would never harm a pony before."

Rainbow suddenly flared up at this, flapping her wings and hovering in midair so everypony could look at her. "Anypony can become the opposite of themselves if they get pushed too far," she spat, glaring at her friends. "They just need time to recover! Unfortunately, you guys keep rejecting her so she becomes even more unlike herself!"

Spike however, rolled his eyes. "Why are you even defending her?" he asked, crossing his arms and not acting like his usual self.

"I knew her better than any of you," she pointed out, crossing her arms as well.

Twilight exchanged looks with Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack before turning back to Rainbow Dash and admitting, "Well, that's true."

"So you gotta forgive her!" she exclaimed, waving her hooves frantically.

"Rainbow darling, I just remembered that Sweetie Belle told me all about how Scootaloo shouted at her for no particular reason and after she and Apple Bloom went to pay her a nice little visit," said Rarity, still attempting to calm Fluttershy down.

Rainbow Dash's eyes clouded and she appeared to have nothing to say about this event. And then, finally she spoke.

"I'm sure she's still Scootaloo..."

Pinkie bounced over to Rainbow, her blue eyes serious for once. "Have you seen her?" she questioned, stepping closer to her with every word. "HAVE YOU SEEN HER?!" Pinkie Pie pressed herself against Rainbow Dash, her eyes meeting her's. Dash slowly backed away, frowning.

"No, but I still believe she's still her."

Pinkie let out a long sigh and said, "Fine, if you really believe she's still her, then stop wasting her time and go find her! Then you'll see." She bounced away from Rainbow Dash, though not as happy as she usually did it.

"Fine!" Rainbow stomped out the door, away from her friends, slamming the door behind her furiously. Her face was brimmed with determination as she spread her wings and soared up into the sky to search for Scootaloo.

"My, my," Rarity commented, still inside the library. "She sure does believe Scootaloo is innocent."

"She's just wastin' her time," said Applejack. "Just wait; she'll come runnin' back tellin' all about how Scootaloo tried to beat her up and beg for our forgiveness."

"I just hope she is wasting her time," Twilight said, her eyes clouded with worry.

* * *

_In nowhere of Ponyville do you find comfort_

_In nopony you can confide_

_You try to run away from all the hurt_

_Do not worry, do not try to hide_

Scootaloo woke up with a start. The words seemed to echo around the clearing. Sweat trickled down from her forehead as she looked around, wildly flipping her dirty mane from side to side as she searched for the source of the echoing rhyme. She knew she had heard those words; she knew it wasn't just a dream. Somepony was here, watching her. Scootaloo began to feel extremely paranoid as she leaned against the tree that offered no protection to who was waiting for her. The sun was beginning to set now, causing the scene to grow darker by every minute.

Minutes passed.

Scootaloo gradually felt more relaxed and secure as nothing moved or stirred in the following minutes. And when the sun finally set, Scootaloo could breathe regularly now. Suddenly, the eerie rhyme sounded again, the words ringing in Scootaloo's ears. She began to tremble and covered her ears with her hooves, struggling to keep out the noise. A shimmering mist was beginning to form around the dark clearing. Scootaloo felt completely trapped in the clearing, with no shelter or safety to dive into. She whimpered softly, shaking uncontrollably now. She could see a shape in the mist, its humongous shadow looming over Scootaloo's small figure.

The figure was getting closer and closer...Scootaloo could make out a pony shape. Her eyes grew wide as the pony came closer. The pony suddenly emerged from the mist and Scootaloo rubbed her eyes, blinking at the pony.

It was...a filly...

The filly stood tall, smiling at Scootaloo, her large light blue eyes shining with a sweet brightness. She had a long, wavy, light blue mane and tail, and a pale yellow body that contained a pair of wings. Feeling envious, Scootaloo saw her cutie mark-a bright yellow, smiling sun. Her legs seemed unusually long and thin for a filly and Scootaloo thought that the pony seemed...strangely familiar?

Scootaloo stared back at the filly, meeting her blue gaze. "Hi," she said in a soft, yet cheerful voice. "I'm Sunny Shine. I spotted you last night in the rain and I just couldn't help myself to come investigate. I saw you sleeping in the mud and I got curious. I also read some of the papers - " she stopped to nervously grin at Scootaloo. She nodded, indicating that she forgave her and wanted her to go on.

"Well I also heard the rumors about you, so I pretty much just put two and two together and figured everything out. And...all I can say is that...I'm sorry for you. I would just like to help you..." Sunny Shine held out a hoof and Scootaloo reluctantly took it, getting up and wiping mud from her coat. "Nopony deserves to be out in the rain like this! I invite you to stay at my home for the rest of the night - if that's okay with you, that is."

Scootaloo couldn't believe her ears. Was this stranger pony really inviting her to stay...at her home?! She hesitated, wondering whether she should accept or decline the offer. What if it was a trick? She took a deep breath and answered to the pony stranger, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to reject your offer."

Sunny Shine looked disappointed. "Oh," she said sadly, her smile replaced by a frown. "Why?"

Scootaloo looked away. "This is what I deserve," she answered simply.

Sunny Shine seemed concerned for her, and reached out a hoof to place it on her shoulder. "No," she said. "Nopony deserves this. Nopony should be alone. Please, accept my offer. You'll be happy you did!" She forced a smile for the gloomy pegasus. She didn't answer. She lowered her eyes, quietly gazing at the soft mud. Sunny Shine waited patiently for Scootaloo to respond, still beaming.

At that moment, Rainbow Dash was flying overhead. She squinted through the thick mist, searching for any sign of Scootaloo. She stopped flying, spotting a bit of orange and purple she was certain was from Scootaloo's mane and coat. Rainbow flew down, folding her wings and landing on the ground near a muddy clearing surrounded by a shimmering mist. She walked closer to the clearing, making out some orange and purple.

She began to race through the mist and saw Scootaloo standing with her back turned from another filly. Rainbow stepped closer, tilting her head curiously to one side. The fillies didn't seem to notice her; the strange pony's eyes were focused on Scootaloo and Scootaloo was focused on the mud.

Rainbow cautiously stepped a few inches closer and then hollered, "Scootaloo!"

The two fillies' eyes flickered with alarm and immediately turned to her and it was that moment when she suddenly felt self-conscious with the two other ponies watching her. Nonetheless, she spoke.

"Scootaloo, who is this?" she demanded, glancing at the cream-colored pegasus filly.

"I'm Sunny Shine," she announced, "Fluttershy's little sister."

* * *

**Alright, I apologize to everypony who asked me to put their OCs in. I rejected, because I said I wasn't planning for any new ponies. But this idea just popped into my mind and I just had to do it with Sunny Shine. I'm sorry everypony. :( Also, Sunny Shine is completely my character so I do not give out any credit for her. Please review! Um, if you want to...that is...**


	12. Chapter 12: Scootaloo's Decision

**Me: Hello everypony. Sorry for the particularly long wait for chapter 12. And sorry about how the chapter's a bit short. I had a bit of writer's block...**

**Indigo & Dark Chocolate: Hi!**

**Me: I see White Wind left. Good, very good. Also, I see that I have 116 reviews. Good, very good.**

**Indigo: Uh?...**

**Me: Sorry, I'm just feeling serious today. :L Now, we shall do the review replies, or shall we not?**

**Dark Chocolate: We shall, I guess?**

**Serious Review Replies**

**Kokorokisses: Thank you, and your question will be answered in this chapter.**

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**Guest (ebk21): Ah, you're about to find out.**

**RAINBOWDASHFAN: :(**

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**GingerTyPerior: Oh, I'm sorry, I know my story stirs up some emotion.**

**Wizardkittyscat: Why, thank you. :)**

**GAMMA DAWN14: Thanks.**

**feargamer: Thank you.**

**pjb1234: Thanks, and coming up with Sunny Shine was pretty difficult. I had this idea of making Fluttershy a little sister. First, I had to design her. I thought she might look a bit like Fluttershy, so I designed her until she was perfect. Then I had to come up with a name for her. I decided with Sunny Shine because it sounded cute like Fluttershy and it made her sound all sunny and sweet. So, that's basically how I came up with her. I'm proud. :D**

**AlexLoneWolf: ._.**

******Hermione Sparkle: Yes, and you are about to find out.**

**ElderscrollsPony: Fluttershy is best pony. /)**

* * *

Chapter 12: Scootaloo's Decision

Rainbow's pupils were tiny dots; her mouth was agape with shock. "S - sister?" she sputtered, her left eye twitching slightly so that she looked just the teeniest bit mad.

Sunny Shine nodded, her wavy blue mane bouncing up and down.

"...But...Fluttershy never told me about you," said Rainbow Dash, still seeming completely shocked. Her eye was twitching more violently now, causing her to look like a mad lunatic.

"Oh, she didn't?" Sunny tilted her head. "Hmm, well...maybe she mentioned it to you before, and you somehow forgot? I don't think Fluttershy would just not tell you about me at all. We have a great bond, you know."

"No," Rainbow answered, almost instantly shaking her cyan head. "I _don't _know."

Sunny Shine narrowed her eyes slightly but decided to continue anyway, ignoring Rainbow's comment. "Well, I was just asking Scootaloo here to come live with me for a while, since she has nowhere else to stay."

"You know her?" asked a bewildered Rainbow Dash.

Sunny Shine shook her head.

"Then how do you know her name?"

Sunny Shine heaved a large sigh. "It's a long story," she murmured, looking off into the distance before focusing her eyes on Scootaloo.

Dash turned to Scootaloo, analyzing her quickly with her still-wide eyes. "Well?" she finally said. "You gonna say anything or what?"

"Um..." Scootaloo fidgeted, awkwardly gazing at the two pegasi in confusion, lost for words and it didn't help that Sunny and Rainbow were staring at her as well. "I guess I accept the offer?..."

Sunny beamed. "That's great! You can come over to Fluttershy's cottage with me!"

"You live with Fluttershy?" Dash's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "How come I never saw you before when I was at her cottage then?"

"I don't live with Fluttershy," Sunny explained. "I just visit her sometimes. My parents wanted us to strengthen our bond so they're making me stay at her cottage for a week or so."

"Oh..." Rainbow relaxed, but still kept her tense stare.

"Fluttershy?" Scootaloo winced. "I don't think she'll invite me in her house...after what happened..."

"I know what happened," Sunny Shine said. "I'll sort it out; it's okay, I promise; Fluttershy listens to me. I just invite you to come stay for a while. Please? Pretty please?"

"Yeah, I accepted," Scootaloo mumbled.

"Come." Sunny walked away, turning around and waving her hoof, signaling for her to follow. She hesitated before trotting after the yellow filly, still doubtful. Rainbow Dash quickly sped after them, apparently sharing Scootaloo's large doubts. The cottage came into view, and Scootaloo's doubts grew heavier as they drew closer to the cottage.

Scootaloo followed Sunny Shine up the path to her cottage door, Rainbow Dash soaring overhead to watch the two young fillies. Sunny raised a cream-colored hoof and lightly knocked on the door, her blue eyes shining with excitement. The door was flung open, and a familiar yellow pegasus appeared at the doorway. "Oh, Sunny Shine. You're back. I was getting worried," said Fluttershy. Her eyes wandered from Sunny to Scootaloo, immediately darkening. "Oh...you've brought a friend..."

"You know Scootaloo, right?" said Sunny, whipping around to gaze at Scootaloo and then at her older sister.

"Yes..." Fluttershy's eyes were still fixed on Scootaloo. "I know her well."

"Can she stay here at your cozy cottage for a while? Please? She has nowhere else to go. Pretty please?" Sunny pleaded.

Fluttershy glanced at Sunny Shine's pleading eyes, then back at Scootaloo's worried expression. "Well..."

"Please?!" Sunny begged, her frown deepening.

She sighed. "Alright," she muttered. "If you want it so badly..."

Sunny grinned, twisting around to escort Scootaloo into the cottage. "Great! Now I can show you where you can sleep! Oh, and we can also play some games while you're here! It'll be fun, fun, fun! Thank you Fluttershy, thank you!" Sunny fluttered her yellow wings, flying up from the cottage floor in her eagerness. Scootaloo shot a glance at Fluttershy who still seemed to be skeptical about her decision of her staying.

Scootaloo tried to ignore the guilt that rose up in her chest, spreading like a disease and filling her completely. She forced herself to look away from Fluttershy and smiled an obviously fake grin at the eager yellow filly. "So, er, games - you say?" Scootaloo asked, trying her best to look enthusiastic.

"Yup!" Sunny Shine landed on the floor folding her wings. "Aren't you excited?" she added, patting her on the shoulder with a hoof.

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be totally awesome," Scootaloo forced these words, trying to sound really excited just for the sake of the sweet filly.

"Come on Scootaloo, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping," said Sunny, flapping her wings again and flying off with Scootaloo tailing her closely.


	13. Chapter 13: Sunshine

**Hi. Hope ya all liked the last chapter, even though it didn't have much action and all. This chapter is a bit short and boring, but I hope you like it anyways. So let's get on with the review replies!**

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**Biggmomma46: Sunny's still got the same adorableness as Fluttershy, and yes, it's reasonable for Dash to be skeptical in this type of situation. Peace or should I say, cudos!**

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* * *

Chapter 13: Sunshine

Scootaloo and Sunny Shine entered a small, dim bedroom. A sort of ground bed was placed next to Fluttershy's large soft bed. A soft white mattress was laid out, along with a pink pillow and several blankets. Sunny flew across the room to flicker on a small lamp so the dark room was now filled with a dim light. She then lumbered over to a closet, rummaging through the mess of stuff inside. Scootaloo could hear her murmuring, "Where is it? Ugh, not that...no...come on!" She finally pulled out what seemed to be a large worn-out sleeping bag. "Ah!"

She picked up the old thing in her teeth and she trotted over to place it beside the ground bed, carefully laying it out and adjusting it properly. When she had completed this process, she turned to grin at Scootaloo. "This is where you'll be sleeping," she announced as if it were a luxurious bed.

Scootaloo awkwardly tilted her head, unimpressed. "Um - "

"Let's play a game!" said Sunny abruptly, interrupting the orange filly.

"A...game? Right now?..." Scootaloo sounded startled.

"Yeah! We can play a game I created myself! It'll be really, really fun!" Sunny bounced up and down with excitement, her mane bouncing along with her quick movements, reminding her a bit of Pinkie Pie.

"Sure hope so," she mumbled to herself, glancing at the worked-up filly.

"What do you wanna play first?" Sunny asked, blinking and smiling.

"I thought we were gonna play the game you created yourself? The game you said would be really, really fun?..." replied Scootaloo, her face expressionless.

"Oh yeah!" she giggled. "Yeah, I remember! I'll teach it to you! You want to learn it, right?"

"Yeah, of course," she responded blankly.

Sunny giggled joyfully again. "Okay, so it's called 'Sunshine'! It's really fun!"

"Yeah. You said that," muttered Scootaloo, feeling quite annoyed.

"So you play like this: One pony is the sunshine! The other is the darkness! The sunshine has to catch the darkness so that the darkness will become sunny and happy like everypony deserves to be!" Sunny jumped up, wearing a wide grin on her cheerful face.

"Sounds fun," she said.

"D'you wanna be sunshine? Or do you wanna be darkness?" asked Sunny, flicking her blue tail happily.

"Doesn't matter," replied Scootaloo.

"Okay! I'll be sunshine and you'll be darkness!" Sunny replied, turning away from Scootaloo so that her wavy blue tail faced her. There was a pause, where an awkward silence filled the bedroom. Sunny Shine glanced at Scootaloo over her shoulder, tilting her head.

"What are you waiting for? Run!" she cried. Scootaloo started racing around the room, a bit reluctantly at first but then more joyfully as she enjoyed the fun game. "Sunshine" flew around the room, trying to catch "darkness" as she dodged her playful attacks. The sound of happy laughter filled the room as the two fillies played their little game.

Finally, Sunny caught Scootaloo and their game ended; the panting fillies collapsed on each other and dragged themselves to the ground bed and sleeping bag to rest from the tiring game. "That was...fun," commented Scootaloo, surprised at her own words.

"I told you," responded Sunny, beaming for moment and then continued panting as she rested on the fluffy mattress. "It'll be dinner soon anyway."

"Will Fluttershy be there?" asked Scootaloo nervously, even though she knew what her response would be.

"Of course! She's making it so why shouldn't she enjoy her own dinner?" Sunny answered with a slight hint of confusion.

"Heh, right..." Scootaloo couldn't bear the thought of having to eat dinner with Fluttershy, even though it would seem like such a simple thing to some other pony. But some other pony would not know what it was like to be in this sort of situation. After what she had done to Fluttershy, she couldn't even think to look at her innocent face, much less eat with her. She felt reminded of everything that had happened to her in the past couple days every time she glanced at the sweet yellow pegasus. And she definitely did _not_ want to be reminded.

_Maybe I can get myself out of this. I just can't face her, not now at_ _least_, thought Scootaloo desperately, her worried eyes darting from her sleeping bag to Sunny Shine. _No, snap out of it, Scootaloo! What's to be scared of? There's nothing to be scared of, right? It's Fluttershy, for Celestia's sake! She wouldn't hurt anypony! You just have to do this...for Sunny's sake! For your sake!_

"Yes!" Scootaloo blurted out, causing Sunny to crane her neck in her direction curiously. She quickly clamped her hooves over her mouth, then swiftly removing them and chuckling unconvincingly. "Haha, I was just talking to myself about-how I want to play 'Sunshine' again and I said 'yes" because...I do want to play it again! Haha!"

Sunny smiled and replied, "Don't worry, we can play that again real soon."

"Ha, thanks!" answered Scootaloo, letting out another fake chuckle. As Sunny turned away from her direction, Scootaloo sighed under her breath. "Phew," she whispered.

The ponies sat in still silence as several long minutes passed. Scootaloo broke the silence by a soft but audible yawn. Sunny copied her, and the two ponies shared a small giggle. The silence repeated; the two fillies looked around waiting for Fluttershy's voice to call them for dinner. Sunny rose and trotted to the door, opening it and listening to see if Fluttershy would call them already.

"_FLUTTERSHY?!_" she hollered in a shrill tone, so loud and high that Scootaloo covered her ears, wincing at how such a nice filly could shout so high. "IS IT TIME FOR DINNER YET?!"

"No!" Her voice sounded so sharp and edgy for her sweet and gentle personality that Scootaloo shuddered.

"Ugh." Sunny whipped around and trotted back to her floor bed. "I'm so bored I could just die! When is she gonna be done? Grr. Hey Scootaloo! Want to do something else while she's busy?"

"Sure!" she answered eagerly. "Another game maybe?"

"Okay. 'Sunshine' again?" Sunny suggested. "You said you wanted to play it again before."

"I'm a bit too tired right now for that," she said. "Anything else?"

"Let's see." Sunny rubbed her chin with a pale yellow hoof thoughtfully. "Hide and seek?"

"Oh, sure!" Scootaloo happily agreed.

"Do you want to hide or seek?" Sunny asked with a bright smile.

"Seek," she answered with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I bet I can totally find you."

"Oh, you're on!" laughed Sunny. Scootaloo covered her eyes and started counting to 10. Sunny began looking for a hiding place, galloping around and looking in possible spots.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! Ready or not, here I - "

A soft voice drifted through the exposed doorway from the kitchen, interrupting Scootaloo.

"She's done! Come on Scoots, let's go eat dinner together!" The delighted filly grabbed her hoof, racing off to the dining room, her face filled with undeniable excitement. On the contrary, Scootaloo's face was filled with skepticism and worry.


	14. Chapter 14: Conflicts

**Hey** **everypony! Hope you liked chapter 13. Sorry this chapter took so long. A bad case of writer's block.  
**

**RoseQuartz1: I agree...**

**feargamer: Thank you very much!**

**Flutter Night: About having to go eat dinner with Fluttershy. Try rereading that section and see if you can understand it better.**

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**TS and Double-T Forever Strong: Yes...poor Scoots...**

* * *

Chapter 14: Conflicts

Scootaloo followed Sunny Shine into the dining room where Fluttershy was sitting in a chair at a small table. Delicious-looking food was set upon the wooden table, the aroma wafting around the room. Her heart lurched when she saw that Fluttershy was not looking at her sister, but at her. She turned away from her direction, pretending to look in awe at the dinner. She heard a loud "Ooh! Finally!" from her sunny companion, and was suddenly grabbed by her hoof and placed in a chair. She got comfortable, pushing her chair a little closer to the table.

Sunny held her fork in her mouth, carefully taking some green beans and setting them on her plate. She then picked out some other foods and set them on her plate. Scootaloo watched this and picked up her own cutlery, cautiously choosing some food and placing them on her plate. Soon her once-bare plate was filled with food. She glanced up, noticed that the shy yellow pegasus had not even moved. _I wonder what's on her mind_, she thought curiously, stealing a few more glances before settling to eat.

Sunny shoveled the food in her mouth at record speed, devouring everything on her plate in minutes. Scootaloo hadn't even finished her salad when Sunny leaned back on her chair and announced, "I'm done!" She twisted her head to gaze at the filly in wonder.

"Wow. Already?" she commented; now her eyes were set upon the bright filly's bare dinner plate.

"Yeah..." said Sunny shyly. "I eat fast..."

"No kidding," chuckled Scootaloo, who was now back to her own eating.

"I'm glad we're all here," Fluttershy suddenly piped up. Scootaloo jumped; she almost forgot about Fluttershy. "I need to talk to you about something," she said quietly.

She looked up from her dinner, expecting Fluttershy to be looking directly at her, but that was not true; her eyes were cast upon her little sister. Sunny most likely noticed this too, as she turned her head to stare at her sister. "Huh?" she asked. "What, it's about me?"

"Yes," answered Fluttershy. "Your parents are deciding to move here from Manehattan. They called me just a few minutes ago and told me. They're going to take you also, of course."

"What?" Sunny's eyes bugged out, her mouth agape. "But - you didn't...how - " The filly was apparently lost for words in this situation, so she compromised by making a loud choking noise.

"For education, they've decided on the schoolhouse Scootaloo goes to," said Fluttershy, her eyes darting to the orange filly for a split second but quickly retreated back to her dumbstruck sister.

Finally, Sunny managed to speak. "But our parents didn't say anything about moving!" she shrieked with desperation. "They never said I was moving _here - _in _Ponyville _- with _you!_"

"Well, I guess they were waiting for the right time," Fluttershy said simply.

Scootaloo gaped at her as well; she had no idea how the pink-maned pony could be so calm and serious in this surprising conflict. She cleared her throat, wanting to say something to Sunny just to cheer the usually bright pony up, but she was swiftly interrupted.

"What about all my friends back in Manehattan? What are they gonna do without me?" she muttered gloomily.

"I'm sure they'll be fine without you. You can still keep in touch with them," her sister answered. "I'm sorry, but that's what your parents told me."

"I'm sure going to miss Manehattan," Sunny Shine sighed, gazing at the floor glumly. Her ears drooped, and her mane suddenly lost its usual bounce. "When am I moving here?" she asked, barely looking up.

"As soon as you go back to Manehattan," Fluttershy said. Sunny whimpered, her eyes watering slightly. Fluttershy tried to soothe her little sister by murmuring comforting words to her. It didn't seem to help though, as Sunny started sobbing, something Scootaloo would have never expected to see of the sweet filly. Scootaloo quickly turned back to her unfinished dinner, not wanting to stare at the terrible scene. She swiftly finished her dinner and glanced up to see that Fluttershy's teal eyes were fixed upon her, even though she was still trying to calm her weeping sister. But as soon as she saw that Scootaloo was looking, she quickly changed her gaze and looked at her sister instead, as if she were scared of the younger filly even looking at her.

"Huh..." the orange pony mumbled to herself. "It's as if she hates me...well, she does, obviously...but I think it's something deeper than that..." She tried to recall the memory of the shy yellow pegaus staring at her. What was it that caused it to be even deeper? Scootaloo abruptly realized that there was mixed emotion in her eyes. She focused even more, and the flashing image of her eyes entered her mind. Her eyes were full of fear...confusion...sorrow...resent...and regret? The filly shook her head, causing her wild purple mane to flop into her light eyes.

She raised a hoof to push her mane out of her eyes and spat out a strand of hair that she somehow had gotten in her mouth. She shook her head again, more carefully this time so she didn't get her face full of her mane. Was it really true? Had she seen regret in the shy pony's teal eyes? And if she had seen clearly, could it mean that Fluttershy was sorry about the whole thing? "That could explain a lot," she said to herself quietly.

Her purple eyes wandered to Fluttershy who was still trying to comfort her sister. "But there was also hatred in there," she reflected, staring at her clear teal eyes curiously. Suddenly, she realized something was wrong. Something - or rather, somepony was missing.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" she blurted out, her eyes growing slightly at her outburst.

The two sisters whipped around and stared at her. Scootaloo noticed how Fluttershy seemed kind of nervous.

"Oh...R - Rainbow Dash?...She left," the pink-maned pegasus said, spreading out her wings with a hint of anxiety.

"Why?" Scootaloo urged her to respond, anxious to know where and why her idol had gone.

"W-well, she actually wanted to stay, but I convinced her not to and she went..." she responded, scraping her hoof against the floor absentmindedly.

"Oh." Scootaloo's voice was dull but also had a small hint of frustration. "Then I'm going to sleep." Sunny looked up at this, tilting her head as Scootaloo walked off to the upstairs bedroom.

"Not without me," she said, trotting up to walk with Scootaloo to the bedroom. She exchanged a grateful glance with the other filly, now smiling slightly as she went upstairs side by side with Sunny Shine.


	15. Chapter 15: Not Such A Sunny Day

**Yay, new reviews! :D Oh, and I'm really sorry for the long wait. I had MAJOR writer's block.**

**Hermione Sparkle: Eeyup...**

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**I also would like to thank a friend for helping me write this chapter. Thank you! :D**

* * *

Chapter 15: Not Such A Sunny Day

Scootaloo woke up to a bright, sunny day. She yawned, standing up and stretching for a moment before turning to Sunny Shine, who was still sound asleep. She watched the other filly snore gently and decided not to bother the young sleeping pony; she had had a tough night. She looked up at Fluttershy's large bed, but the shy pony was not there, which meant she was probably up already.

The pegasus trotted across to the door, opened it cautiously as to not wake up Sunny, slipped out of the room, and closed the door quietly behind her. She tiptoed down the narrow stairs to the living room, where she sat down on the rug. She yawned again, a blank expression on her face. "I wonder when Sunny's gonna get up. I should have woken her up when I got the chance. I'm so bored!" she murmured.

"Maybe some breakfast will get some of that boredom off your chest." Fluttershy suddenly appeared behind her, smiling cheerfully.

Scootaloo whipped around, startled at her abrupt appearance. She paused for a moment, gazing at her kind face, before replying, "Um - sure, Fluttershy."

"Okay," she said sweetly, trotting away. The younger pegasus sat on the soft rug, bewildered at her sweetness. Why had she become so nice? Had she suddenly decided to forgive her? Was this some sort of plan she was setting up or something? Scootaloo closed her eyes, attempting to relax as these thoughts swirled around her head like a raging tornado.

"Scootaloo!"

Her eyes popped open, then rest upon Fluttershy and the plate she was holding. It contained a glass of orange juice and a yummy-looking salad. "Here you go," she said, thrusting out the plate to her. She gladly took it, still amazed. Scootaloo watched as the pink-maned pony walked away. She looked away when the last bit of her long pink tail had gone, and instead stared at her breakfast. She hesitated before eating, as if checking if the breakfast was poisonous. The purple-maned pony finally dug into the salad, eating noisily.

She devoured the salad in ten seconds flat, then drank down all of her juice. She licked her lips, savoring the taste; she didn't realize how starving she had been before. A loud pattern of hoof-steps caused her to look up and see Sunny Shine walking down the stairs, tiredly rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Sunny," Scootaloo greeted the other pony. "What's up?"

"Hi," muttered Sunny groggily. "What's for breakfast?"

"Um..." She spotted a plate on the coffee table containing the same salad and orange juice she had just ate. "There." She pointed with her hoof to the breakfast and Sunny immediately rushed over to it, gobbling up the contents.

Scootaloo watched her, then suddenly said, "I wish Rainbow Dash were here."

Sunny looked up from her now-spotless plate, blinking her light blue eyes. "Who's Rainbow Dash?" she asked, flicking her tail.

"How could you not know her?" The light orange filly was amazed. "How could anypony not know Rainbow Dash? She's the most awesome pony in all of Equestria!"

She shrugged indifferently "Eh, if you say so. So who is this 'Rainbow Dash who's the most awesome pony in all of Equestria'?"

"That blue pegasus that was here before!" Scootaloo sputtered. "With the rainbow mane and awesome aura and all?"

"Ohh. Now I remember. Yeah, I guess she looked pretty cool," replied Sunny.

"Pretty cool? More like totally cool! I want to be just like her!" Scootaloo fluttered her wings, grinning at the thought of her brave idol.

"That's cool," Sunny Shine said. "Look...about last night..."

"What?" Scootaloo said. "Something wrong?"

"Yes..." Sunny murmured. "You know - about me moving and all...and going to your school...and everything..."

"Oh...right." These conflicts had completely slipped off Scootaloo's mind, but now that they had returned, she felt oddly chilled.

"Well...I'd rather not talk about it...right now, anyway. Want to play a game?" Sunny said.

"Huh? Oh sure. Which game?" responded Scootaloo.

"Do you want to play 'Sunshine' again?" asked Sunny, regaining her usual jolly nature.

"Um...no thanks," she refused politely. "Wait...Sunny...I need to talk to you..."

"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Not 'what.' _Who..._Fluttershy," mumbled Scootaloo, lowering her eyes slightly.

"...What about her?" Sunny tilted her head curiously. "Is she being mean to you? If she is, I'm sure she's just confused. She wouldn't be mean on purpose."

"No, no. The opposite, really - uh...I think she's sorry for me," confessed the orange pony.

"I don't get it," replied Sunny in confusion.

"Ugh...just forget it," snapped Scootaloo, turning away coldly. Sunny Shine returned a puzzled and hurtful look.

"Sunny." Fluttershy abruptly appeared behind her sister, staring down at her. "You'll be staying here a little longer. Our parents are packing your stuff and getting everything ready. And you'll be attending Scootaloo's school tomorrow, by the way. I hope you make some new friends," said Fluttershy, moving away.

Sunny's ears drooped. "But I want to keep my old friends," she muttered under her breath. "Not that I don't want to make new ones, of course..."

"At least you actually have a chance of making friends," Scootaloo told Sunny Shine. "I lost all of mine."

"Oh...right..." Sunny's eyes grew even more sorrowful. "Is your school nice?..."

"Yeah," replied Scootaloo. "Except for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, that is...you'll want to stay away from them."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sunny suppressed a slight chuckle.

* * *

"Come on," Sunny said dully as she rushed out of the bedroom down the staircase, her hooves a blur of yellow and her light blue tail flowing behind her.

"I'm coming!" snapped the orange pony grumpily. She trotted down the narrow stairs, passing the living room and entering the little dining room where Fluttershy and Sunny Shine were seated at the table. A food-filled plate was set in front of a chair that was obviously meant for her. She walked over to the chair, pulling it out and settling in it peacefully. Scootaloo scanned the plateful of food in front of her. It contained a tasty-looking fruit salad, with a side of crispy hay, complete with a glass of apple juice.

Immediately the pegasus began to gobble down her breakfast, copying Sunny Shine's fast eating pace. She finished within a few minutes and glanced towards her companion's plate, expecting to see it clean and shiny. But Sunny had not touched one morsel of her breakfast, which made Scootaloo's clear eyes fill with worry.

"Sunny, you should really eat more," Fluttershy spoke out loud, startling Scootaloo for a split second. "You'll need your strength."

"Fine..." Sunny began chewing on her salad with little enthusiasm. Scootaloo watched as the sullen pony ate, less quick than usual. She knew the fact that she was moving and leaving behind everything and everypony she knew of her old home was biting at her spirit, causing her usual happiness to decrease dramatically. _I just hope this doesn't change everything, _thought Scootaloo. Though deep down...she sensed that it would.

* * *

Scootaloo took a deep breath as she stepped closer to the doorway of the schoolhouse with Sunny walking beside her. The light-maned filly flattened her ears against her head, giving off another aura of nervousness as she walked alongside her friend. The two fillies entered the school, wincing at the glances most of the ponies gave them.

Scootaloo heard Diamond Tiara snicker, "Here comes Loserloo and some other pony I don't know, but she's probably a loser too if she's hanging out with that Scoot-loser!" She forced herself not to growl; she didn't want Diamond Tiara to know that she had got her. The purple-maned pony trotted to her desk and sat down in her seat, trying to look straight ahead. She did not want to turn and see the glares Sweetie and Apple Bloom were probably giving her.

Cheerilee was sitting at her desk, looking over some papers. She suddenly looked up and saw Sunny Shine standing near her, shuffling her hooves anxiously. "Oh!" She put a hoof to her mouth, then shoved herself out of her chair, walking over to stand beside Sunny. "Class," she said loudly and the whole class hushed. "We have a new student today. Everypony welcome Sunny Shine from Manehattan!" Miss Cheerilee smiled at her, who smiled back nervously.

The class murmured mixed greetings, some eager and some not quite so enthusiastic. Scootaloo noticed that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were rolling their eyes. _Spoiled brats, _she thought angrily.

"Sunny Shine...you may...take the seat there." Cheerilee pointed to a seat behind Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara noticed this and looked disgusted. Sunny nodded and trotted to her new seat. Scootaloo caught sight of Diamond Tiara turning in her seat and hissing something she couldn't make out to Sunny. She saw the filly's ears droop and her eyes drag to her desk sadly.

_Hmm...wonder what she said...probably some stupid insult. I'll confront Sunny later..._ thought Scootaloo. Her gaze drifted and was now set upon White Wind. She stared at him for a while, narrowing her eyes. The white colt turned and their eyes met. There was a burn of anger in his blue eyes as he gazed at Scootaloo. The orange filly looked away and fixed her eyes on Cheerilee who was now writing an equation on the chalkboard.

"Class," she said, raising her voice. "Let's begin, please."


	16. Chapter 16: Light and Dark

**Hiya! Thanks for all the reviews. Sorreh for the long wait again...but I tried to make it up with this looong chapter! Come to think of it, this is my longest chapter so far. huh. Oh, and I'd like to thank the same friend for helping me in this chapter. She really helped me out, so thank you. You know who you are. o3o**

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**Flutter Night: Thank you, and I'll be sure to write more chapters for your pleasure.**

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Chapter 16: Light and Dark

Scootaloo walked slowly out of the schoolhouse, her head drooping slightly when she saw Sweetie and Apple Bloom walk out together and glance at her. She shut her eyes and craned her head in the other direction, opening them only to see a sudden blur of light yellow and blue. She quickly realized that it was Sunny Shine, and she caught a glimpse of the yellow pony crying and galloping out of sight.

It all happened so fast that Scootaloo didn't even get a chance to think. Now that the swift sequence of events had passed, the purple-maned pegasus tilted her head curiously and put a hoof to her chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. Her deep thoughts were interrupted by a loud chatter of voices. She glanced up, irritated at the interruption, then saw that her classmates were all staring in amazement at the spot that Sunny had disappeared out of view.

"Did you see that?"

"Yeah!"

"I wonder what happened..."

"I don't know..."

"...Huh." Scootaloo still gazed at the spot Sunny Shine had once been. "Wonder what's up with Sunny...guess I'd better check on her to be safe." She trotted off in the direction she had witnessed the light cream pony galloping in. Her hooves thudded against the sandy dirt floor, sending up little puffs of dust that clung to her coat. She brushed the specks of dust off delicately and quickened her pace, following the long trail of hoof-steps that belonged to Sunny Shine and they eventually led to Fluttershy's cottage.

Scootaloo gazed at the familiar tiny house as she walked up to the door, which was swinging open carelessly. She stuck out a hoof to stop the door's swinging and hopped inside, slamming the door after her. She put a hoof to her ear and listened closely and carefully. She could hear the sound of faint crying and some soft murmurs.

Curious, Scootaloo set off to investigate. She drew closer to the stairs, where the noise could be heard more clearly. The spiky-maned pegasus sneaked up the stairs stealthily, creeping into the bedroom. She pushed the wooden door open a few inches and peered inside.

Fluttershy was perched on her bed, rubbing the back of the hunched figure of Sunny Shine. Scootaloo noticed that the soft sheets on the bed were soaked in front of Sunny, which indicated that she had been crying uncontrollably. Fluttershy murmured a few comforting words to Sunny, still rubbing her back soothingly.

Scootaloo pushed open the door further, causing it to emit a loud creaking noise. Fluttershy and Sunny both turned around to search for the source of the sound, spotting Scootaloo. Scootaloo forced a nervous grin, waving a hoof shakily. "Uh...hi."

The two pegasi stared at her, until Fluttershy finally spoke up. "Hello Scootaloo...um - I didn't think you'd be home so...early...?"

She shrugged. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I? So...what's up?" Her eyes wandered over to Sunny, who was still staring awkwardly at her.

"Nothing," said Sunny quickly.

"Nothing? You crying and running out of the school doesn't seem like nothing," Scootaloo blurted out. "Come on, tell me what really happened," she urged the blue-maned pony.

"I told you, nothing happened." Sunny's eyes began to water again, and she looked on the verge of crying again. Fluttershy flashed her a look of sympathy, but there was a firmness in her eyes telling her to keep her mouth shut.

"Go downstairs," she reassured her quietly. "I'll go down in a minute and prepare you a snack, okay?" She smiled softly at the younger filly.

"...Okay..." Scootaloo slipped out of the doorway, having one more glance at the two pegasi sitting on the bed before closing the door behind her. She trotted down the stairs, plopping down on the green couch. She stared around the room in an unfocused manner, sometimes spacing out and staring at one thing longer than usual.

She sighed. "I thought Fluttershy said she'd be down here in a minute! It's probably been an hour already! Agh!" snarled Scootaloo impatiently.

A few minutes ticked by. Still no Fluttershy _or _Sunny Shine.

Finally, Scootaloo caught a glimpse of Fluttershy's long pink mane, and saw her walking slowly down the staircase, followed by her cowering little sister.

"Finally!" The orange filly expressed by yelling out in frustration. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry," Fluttershy muttered, going over to the kitchen, her back turned from Scootaloo as she prepared an unknown snack. Sunny walked over to the couch, casting a nervous glance at Scootaloo before sinking into the soft material.

"...Hi Sunny," Scootaloo murmured, trying to start up a fresh conversation with the sullen filly.

"Hi," she squeaked in a barely audible whisper.

"Are you okay?" Scoots asked. "I mean, it took you and Fluttershy a while to get downstairs. What's up with that?"

"I'm _fine_," snapped Sunny. "You don't have to keep asking me, you know."

"I just want to know if you're fine!" she said, exasperated.

"Didn't I just say?" The yellow filly flashed her a look that would beat the North Pole's terribly cold climate.

Scootaloo backed away, startled by her sudden coldness. She was spared by Fluttershy, who called, "Snacks are ready!"

She leaped up from the couch gladly, rushing over to Fluttershy who was balancing one plate of carrot sticks and pieces of lettuce on her hoof and grasped another plateful in her teeth. She took one cautiously in her teeth, walking carefully over to the coffee table where she placed the plateful of vegetables. She spotted Sunny walked towards her, setting down the plate on the other end of the table. As she began digging into her food, she noticed Sunny edging away from her a bit, as if she were contagious with the feather flu.

A pounding on the front door interrupted Scootaloo who was midway through her eating. She glanced up as Fluttershy walked to the other and pulled the door open. As the door creaked aside, it revealed an anxious-looking colt standing in the doorway. He sported a light brown coat, with a chocolate-colored mane and eyes.

"Dark Chocolate!" she gasped, her purple eyes growing wide in surprise. How had Dark Chocolate known she was staying at Fluttershy's? And more importantly, why had he come to visit _her?_

"Scootaloo!" His brown eyes brightened when he spotted the orange foal sitting at the table. He started to advance toward her, but hesitated, stopping abruptly and twisting his head to gaze at Fluttershy for permission. The shy pegasus nodded her head, and Dark Chocolate began walking again, settling down next to Scootaloo.

"Er - hi," he said shyly, glancing at her snack. He seemed to be hungry, but didn't ask her whether he could have a carrot stick or lettuce though. Suddenly Scootaloo didn't feel hungry anymore.

"Want?" she said, pushing the plate in front of him. "I'm not hungry anymore."

The brown pony smiled. "Thanks!" he stated brightly, grabbing a carrot stick and chomping on it. Scootaloo watched as the light brown colt gobbled up the food on the plate, wiping his mouth with a hoof afterwards. "Scootaloo..." he began, seeming a bit nervous. "Er - I was hoping you'd like to take a walk outside...with - um...me."

His words caused her to tilt her head in surprise. "Uh - sure," replied Scootaloo, not wanting to disappoint the nice colt. She flashed a nervous glance over his shoulder at Sunny Shine, who was staring at the two of them with an odd expression on her face, as if she had been hurt and been given a treat at the same time.

Dark Chocolate's eyes gleamed in happiness. "Great!" he said, grinning. "Hey - you have a scooter, right? I've seen you riding around Ponyville on it!...You're really good, you know..."

Scootaloo smiled at this. "Thanks," she responded gratefully. "Yeah...I do have a scooter. I do awesome stunts on it!"

"Maybe you could ride on your scooter along with me. I - I brought my scooter too...I'm not as awesome as you, of course - but I can still ride it pretty well." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof.

"Sure. Let's go now." The orange pegasus rose, heading for the doorway. She looked over her shoulder to see that Dark Chocolate was following. She shifted her gaze back to the doorway, where she could see a blue scooter lying in the pathway. She reached the doorway, walking cheerfully outside on the path. Dark Chocolate trotted out the cottage as well, closing the door behind them.

"Come on!" The brown colt mounted his scooter, preparing to take off. Scootaloo stiffened, remembering something.

"My scooter's at home," she groaned, planting an orange hoof to her forehead in frustration. "I'll have to go all over there to get it!"

"Oh." Dark Chocolate's smile faltered, replaced by a miserable frown. "Well..." He dismounted the scooter. "Here. You can have my scooter for now." He smiled, raising a hoof to the scooter and another hoof to his chest in mock pride to acknowledge the blue vehicle.

Scootaloo released a small chuckle. "Thanks, _prince_," she joked, then clapped a hoof over her mouth when she realized the meaning of what she had just said. Dark Chocolate seemed to have noticed, too, as he was scraping the ground uncomfortably with a hoof. She mounted the scooter, putting on the black helmet hanging by one of the handlebars. She felt the grips in her hooves, smiling at the soft touch.

"Let's go!" she roared, tearing off on the scooter down the pathway. Dark Chocolate rushed to catch up, his dark mane blowing in the breeze.

"Hey! Wait up!" he called, panting a little as Scootaloo headed to the busy part of Ponyville. She slowed a little, allowing the colt to catch up and gallop along her without having to rush forward every few moments.

They entered the main part of Ponyville, gazing around at the familiar scene of ponies trotting by. The two foals were nearing Finest Chocolate's Shop, where Dark Chocolate abruptly stopped. Scootaloo halted too, glancing around at where Dark Chocolate was rooted to the soil. "Dark Chocolate?" she asked warily, going back in reverse so she was next to the brown colt.

"Scootaloo, wanna stop by Finest Chocolate's Shop for dessert?" His eyes were glittering with excitement as he gazed at the nearby store. Scootaloo looked too at the shop, trying not to recall the recent memories of the last time she had visited that place.

"Sure," she said quietly, speeding off to the shop with Dark Chocolate tailing her. She dismounted as soon as she'd reached the area, pulling off the black helmet and securing it safely on one of the handlebars. Dark Chocolate held the door open for her as she went inside, grasping a hoof on the scooter's handlebars and pushing it inside too. She laid the scooter carefully against the shining wall and turned to stare at inside of the shop, her eyes growing huge. The shop still looked as marvelous as it had been when she had visited last time.

"Dark Chocolate!"

The voice caused Scootaloo to jump a little. She cleared her throat quickly, hoping nopony had noticed her sudden scare. Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate's mother, was hurrying towards him from where she once stood at the counter. "I thought you were going out to visit one of your friends. Oh, is she it?" She turned her blue gaze on Scootaloo, scanning her carefully. "You've visited Finest Chocolate's Shop before, correct?" she questioned.

"Yes." She shuffled her front hooves awkwardly, not meeting her eyes. "I have."

"Alrighty then!" She turned away, trotting back to her place behind the counter. "Go help yourselves to a treat, then." She smiled, motioning a hoof toward the display of chocolate treats.

"Thanks, Mom!" Dark Chocolate called. He turned to his companion. "Come on!" he said, grabbing her hoof and rushing her to the shelves of chocolates. "You can pick. Any treats you want." He smiled at her, flicking his tail at the magnificent display.

"Oh, um..." Scootaloo looked up at the rows of chocolate goodies. "They all look so good." She raised a hoof to her chin, rubbing it thoughtfully.

"They _are _good." Dark Chocolate grinned even wider, his brown eyes gleaming.

"Don't make it even harder for me to choose." Scootaloo rolled her eyes playfully, still staring at the chocolate display. "Um...those!" She pointed to a large set of chocolate truffles.

"Good choice." He leaned forward and snatched up the chocolates quickly, balancing them carefully on his hoof as he walked over to the stools near the front counter where ponies could enjoy their treats. He set them carefully upon a plate which Milk Chocolate provided, then almost instantly grabbed a truffle and shoveled it in his mouth, chewing noisily. Scootaloo copied him, enjoying the truffles in a noisy manner.

The plate was empty in a mere minute; bits of chocolate remains scattered the plate. Dark Chocolate let out a burp, then covered his mouth, looking in embarrassment at Scootaloo. The orange filly grinned, then let out a burp as well. The two friends shared a laugh at this outcome; Scootaloo hadn't felt this happy since she'd played "Sunshine" with Sunny Shine. Somehow, Dark Chocolate's presence and sweet personality made her feel...appreciated.

"Do you want to go outside and hang out a little more?" The colt's voice was gentle as he spoke to Scootaloo.

"Yeah, sure." She got up and walked to the blue scooter lying against the wall, picking it up while Dark Chocolate pulled open the door to allow her an easy path outside. He headed out after her, smiling brightly. Scootaloo grabbed the helmet, pulling it on while mounting the scooter. She squeezed the handlebar grips, feeling the familiar grips on the scooter before taking off, Dark Chocolate running along her. Again, she slowed down to allow Dark Chocolate to catch his breath.

"Scootaloo," he said. "I've enjoyed our time hanging out. Suppose we could do this again another time?"

"Uh..." Scootaloo glanced at the colt's hopeful face; she just couldn't say no. "I - I'd be glad to."

Dark Chocolate's eyes shined with pleasure. "Great!" He closed his eyes and smiled happily. He opened them quickly afterward, then asked, "Free on Sunday?"

"Yeah, pretty sure," replied Scootaloo, a light smile on her face.

"I'll meet up with you then," he promised.

It was becoming darker every minute, and the town no longer was filled with ponies. Most ponies were going inside now, as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, causing the sky to be streaked with magnificent shades of red, orange, and pink. Scootaloo gazed around, her eyes resting upon Dark Chocolate, who was staring straight ahead, cherishing the moment.

"Scootaloo, I have to go now," Dark Chocolate muttered in disappointment. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, you can go. And here's your scooter back." The orange filly dismounted the scooter, unbuckling the helmet straps and pulling off the helmet.

"Thanks." The brown foal sounded relieved as he took the scooter and mounted it, also putting on the helmet. He rode away, looking over his shoulder and waving farewell. Scootaloo waved too, then whipped around to go back to the cottage. She bumped into another pony, the shock and collision making her fall over backwards. She sat up, closing her eyes and rubbing her head.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" she growled as she opened her eyes and saw a set of white hooves in front of her...hooves that she recognized.

"White Wind!" She jumped up, narrowing her eyes at the black-maned colt. "What are you doing here?" she questioned the white colt, who looked awkwardly at her.

"Nothing," he replied simply. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Nothing," she repeated.

"I saw you with Dark Chocolate," said White Wind softly. "What were you doing?"

"Just hanging out. Is that a crime?" she retorted sharply.

The white pegasus shrugged. "Eh. Listen, I gotta go now...take care, okay?"

_Take care? I thought he didn't like me?_ Scootaloo thought in confusion as he walked quickly away without looking back. She merely shrugged off the thought and continued walking to her destination, taking her time. The night sky was already shining with tiny bright stars by the time she had reached the cottage. She lumbered up the path, reaching the front door and knocking loudly three times in a row.

The door opened to reveal Fluttershy. She smiled as soon as she saw the orange foal, ushering her in silently. The cottage was dim in light; the source of light was only a few burning candle stubs. "Do you want to eat?" She gestured to Sunny who was gobbling up her dessert.

Scootaloo shook her head. "No thanks. I really just want to go to sleep..."

"Oh. That's all right then, too," said the yellow pegasus. "Up you go, then."

She walked up the staircase and entered the bedroom, where she settled into the blue sleeping bag comfortably. She dozed off quickly, her mind flashing images of the long day she had had.

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She was awoken by some object poking her. She opened her eyes, looking around grumpily. "I'm here!" a voice hissed, the voice of Sunny Shine. Scootaloo turned to the side, where she saw Sunny staring at her.

"What do you want?" she murmured sleepily.

"You were hanging around with that chocolate pony," she said, squinting at her.

Scootaloo blinked. "Dark Chocolate? Yeah, so what?"

"Is something going on that I should know?" she said, half-smirking.

"No!" she snapped. "And even if there was something going on, it would be none of your business."

"Oh, so there is something going on?" Sunny smiled deviously at her.

Scootaloo was too tired to argue any longer. Her head fell back on the cushy pillow, and she drifted once again into a deep sleep.


	17. Chapter 17: Fine or Not?

**Well, it looks like I've finally gotten around to updating! HOORAY! Also, I'm really sorry for my inactivity lately, school and writer's block keep me from updating quickly.**

**Flutter Night: Aw, that makes me smile. Thank you so much!**

**mooneyboys: Indeed.**

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**Pikachu913: Ah, young love.**

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**Biggmomma46: Haha, your questions shall be answered soon enough.**

**ShiningShadow1965: Read above. ^**

**TheFanfictionMaster: Thanks a lot.**

**Rarity01: YOU'RE AWESOME TOO! :3**

**TeaFromAnon89: *smiles and nods***

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Chapter 17: Fine or Not?

"_Scootaloo...Scootaloooo..."_

Scootaloo fidgeted in her sleep, trying to block out the voice of the pony chanting her name. "Shut up," she murmured sleepily.

"_SCOOTALOO!_"

"AH!"

Scootaloo leaped up out of her sleeping bag, her ears ringing with the shrill voice that had awoken her. She blinked open her eyes and saw Sunny Shine gazing at her, her eyes narrowed to signify frustration.

"Finally, you're awake," she grumbled. Then, without another word, she whipped around and trotted away, slipping behind the ajar door. Scootaloo stared after her in surprise, her mouth slightly agape.

"What's _her_ problem?" she muttered to herself as she heaved herself to her hooves and went downstairs for breakfast. She entered the dining room, where Fluttershy and Sunny were seated already. Sunny stared at her as she pulled up a chair and sat down. Scootaloo glanced at her, raising her eyebrows questioningly. She turned away quickly, now gazing at her food.

Scootaloo blinked, confused for a second before shrugging it off. _Probably just grumpy,_ she thought, dismissing Sunny quickly.

"Hello Scootaloo." Scootaloo jumped, then relaxed as she looked up to see the kind face of Fluttershy.

"Oh, hello Fluttershy..." Scootaloo glanced down again and started to eat.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" she mumbled through a mouthful of hay.

"It's just that you're looking a little sweaty..." she said worriedly.

"I'm fine." she said again, feeling slightly annoyed. _Why won't Fluttershy stop worrying about me? I can take care of myself! I'm not a little filly anymore. _Scootaloo demolished the last remains of her food and without another glance at Fluttershy or Sunny, she got up and left for school.

* * *

Scootaloo entered the classroom to hear the normal noises of excited chatter from her classmates. She walked quickly to her seat, trying hard to ignore the burning glare she knew Diamond Tiara was giving her.

"Why are _you_ here?" she said rudely, casting her a disgusted look.

"I could ask you the same thing," replied the irritated young filly.

The pink pony scoffed, then turned around and started whispering to Silver Spoon.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and looked around the classroom, her eyes occasionally darting to Dark Chocolate who was talking quietly to his friends. She caught his eye and smiled. He returned the gesture gratefully.

"_...Psst!_ Scootaloo!" somepony whispered behind her.

"Huh?" She turned around and saw out of all ponies Sweetie Belle beckoning her to lean closer so she could whisper to her. Scootaloo leaned forward a bit, then asked, "What?"

"Can I borrow your notes from yesterday? I forgot mine," she said.

"Um, sure." Scootaloo passed Sweetie her notes, unwilling to ask why she had asked her and not Apple Bloom, whom she was closer with nowadays.

"Thanks, Scoots," she said, then turned without another word.

Scootaloo turned around too, feeling slightly puzzled. _Scoots? I thought she only used that name when we were still friends. Huh. Weird. _

However, the filly shrugged it off, as she already had enough things to be worrying about at the moment.

At that moment, her teacher finally rushed into the classroom. The chatter died down and everypony looked curiously at Cheerilee as she started writing up a problem on the chalkboard. She must have noticed the students staring, as she paused, dropping the chalk. "I apologize for my lateness, everypony. I had to rush to get here. And now that you've had so much time to chat, you can start working on this math problem."

A few "aww's" sounded from the ponies, but nonetheless the room was filled with the sound of pencils scratching on paper. Scootaloo settled back and got to work.

* * *

The bell rang and everypony ran outside for recess. The sound of ponies chatting and laughing filled the air and the atmosphere was evidently cheerful. Scootaloo walked out of the classroom more slowly, not really eager for recess. Usually she just spent recess watching all the other ponies play and sometimes had a polite conversation with Dark Chocolate, who didn't seem to hate her as much as the other ponies. Besides, Scootaloo had already decided that the colt was okay, and so was Indigo, since he was nice and didn't seem to dislike her as well.

She sighed. She longed for the days when she would go out Crusading with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The days of fun and laughter. But those days were long gone...

"Hey, Scoots!"

Dark Chocolate appeared beside her, smiling. Scootaloo raised her head and a light smile appeared on her lips.

"Hey, Chocolate," she greeted. "What's up?"

"Oh...nothing much. Hey look, there's Indigo! Want to go play with him?" said Dark Chocolate, grinning and waving a hoof to his friend who was lying down and reading a book in the grass.

"Uh..." Scootaloo hesitated. Indigo was nice, but he was a little serious and boring at times.

The young pony seemed to have sensed her hesitance, as he frowned. "It's okay if you don't want to, Scootaloo...we can do something else."

"Nah, it's cool," she responded, waving a hoof dismissively. "Let's go!" She trotted to the young blue colt, Dark Chocolate flanking her side.

"Hi, Indigo," Scootaloo said as soon as she reached the dark-colored colt.

"Oh, hello," said Indigo, looking up. "Dark Chocolate! Great to see you. And...Scootaloo, right?"

"That's me." She chuckled a little. Indigo smiled politely.

"Well, may I help you two?"

"We were just wondering if you wanted to play, Indigo," Dark Chocolate offered. "You can't spend every recess reading books."

"Who says I can't?" he objected. Both Scootaloo and Dark Chocolate exchanged a look, and Indigo laughed.

"I'm just kidding; I'll play with you," he said, rising up from the cool grass.

"That's great!" Scootaloo started, then she stopped, her mouth hanging open. Behind Indigo, near the bushes, was Sunny Shine, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They were talking, though they were too far away for Scootaloo to make out their facial expressions and what they were saying, though she could swear she saw Diamond Tiara smirking. For a while, she stared, her mind blank.

"Um, Scoots?"

Scootaloo blinked and shook her head. Dark Chocolate was looking at her with some concern in his chocolate-brown eyes. "Are you okay, Scootaloo?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah...I'm fine," she stammered, glancing toward the three fillies who were still talking.

"Sure?" he said, still looking worried at her.

"I told you, I'm fine," she replied.

But she wasn't.


	18. Chapter 18: Secrets and Lies

**Why, hello fellow friends. It's been a while, eh? I bet you all want to clonk me over the head right now for not updating...heh. ^^;**

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**ShiningShadow1965: Thank you. Also, you'll find out. ;u**

**Digi-fanCapp: ...Maybe. o.o**

**Crimson Banner: Let's party hard!**

**Rarity01: Scootaloo is such a terrible friend...Kidding, of course.**

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Chapter 18: Secrets and Lies

Scootaloo kept throwing brief glances over her shoulder at the three fillies as she talked hastily to the two colts, barely taking in a word of what they were saying. _What they were talking about? _she thought again of Sunny, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Indigo and Dark Chocolate were now deep in their own individual conversation, discussing some sort of "Jack Hooves" and "Sam Stallion" in this thing called "P.O.N.Y.!" that was apparently _"radical" _and _"totally wicked!"_. Scootaloo glanced at the three ponies still speaking, then back at the two colts, then finally slipped away, unnoticed by the chattering friends.

She approached the ponies cautiously, fast but light. When she finally got into earshot of them, she dived for cover into a bush. The leaves rustled noisily but thankfully, if they noticed, they didn't make any note of it. She strained her ears, her eyes focused determinedly. After a short pause, she heard their voices, sounding very hushed.

"...so then what happened?" Scootaloo recognized the high-pitched, smug voice of Diamond Tiara and grimaced.

"...Well - er..." Sunny's voice sounded nervously.

"Tell us! If you don't..." Diamond Tiara began viciously and Scootaloo could swear she saw her eyes gleam dangerously.

"Sorry!" Sunny squealed. "Well...then - "

She broke off at the sound of the bell and Cheerilee's voice ringing out across the playground, telling them to go back in. "_Oops there's the bell, bye, talk ya later!_" She sped off, leaving Diamond Tiara and her companion looking disgruntled.

"What now, Diamond Tiara?" asked Silver Spoon, frowning.

"We're going to force it out of her tomorrow, that's what," she snarled, stamping her hoof so that dirt flew up into her face. She coughed and muttered something under her breath.

Scootaloo let out a loud snicker from her hiding place, which unfortunately she must have heard, as she whipped around in her direction. Her eyes found Scootaloo's inside the bush and she immediately smirked.

"Eavesdropping, were you? You know, that's very _low _of you. How much did you hear?" she said casually, though Scootaloo could detect hint of alarm in her voice.

"I'm not telling you that, aren't I?" Scootaloo retorted, stepping out the bush and shaking bits of twig out of her mane. "Anyway, I know enough to figure that you're threatening Sunny."

She blinked, then put on a supposedly innocent expression. "Threatening? Me? Never!" she said, lifting her leg and placing her hoof on her chest to show fake shock. Scootaloo snorted at this and gave her another glare.

"Seriously?" she replied. "Don't play innocent; I know you're planning something and I'm going to find out what!"

"Oh, but I'm not planning anything," Diamond Tiara said, batting her eyelashes in a sickly innocent way. "Right, Silver Spoon?" She turned to Silver Spoon, who had been watching this whole time and not saying a word; just silently glaring at Scoots.

"Right!" she immediately answered, then stuck out her tongue at Scootaloo. Scootaloo did the same back.

"See? I told you, I'm like, totally innocent." Diamond Tiara spoke as if the matter was solved and flashed Scootaloo a stupid grin that made her want to slap her.

She gritted her teeth but knew better than to press further. "Just don't get any ideas! Or else!" Scootaloo told her angrily.

"Or else what?" Silver Spoon spoke up, taunting her with a knowing grin.

"Or else this!" Scootaloo pushed her and the gray filly stumbled and fell, staring at her in shock. Without another word, she marched away and across the playground, inwardly fearing what was next to come.

* * *

**HAHA! That's what you deserve, Dumb Tiara and Silver Stupid! :D Please review, guys! ^^**

**"Indigo and Dark Chocolate were now deep in their own individual conversation, discussing some sort of "Jack Hooves" and "Sam Stallion" in this thing called "P.O.N.Y.!" that was apparently _"radical" _and _"totally wicked!"_." Credit to my good friend TFAlover89 on deviantART for using a reference of her awesome story "M.A.S.H!"**


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